SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eleni Kounalakis made history as the first female Lieutenant Governor in California.
Kounalakis, a businesswoman and former US Ambassador to Hungary, was sworn in on Monday to serve in her new position.
According to her official website, Kounalakis aims to expand the California economy, grow the number of good-paying jobs, and provide universal healthcare and affordable higher education to California residents.
“Our values and diversity drive our economy forward, and truly make California the state leading our nation into the future,” said Kounalakis in a statement on her website. “We must continue to pursue policies which grow our economy - while ensuring that it works better for everyone, not just those at the top. We must also continue to move forward in addressing climate change and protecting our environment.”
Kounalakis’s resume speaks to years of hard work and activity in politics. Born and raised in Sacramento, Kounalakis started her career in 1992 as a staff member of the California Democratic Party in her hometown. Over the next 18 years, she worked in her family business, AKT Development, a housing development firm owned and founded by prominent Sacramento real estate developer and Kounalakis's father, Angelo Tsakopoulos. While there, she worked her way up to the position of president of the company, delivering housing for middle-class families across the Sacramento region. During this time, Kounalakis continued her political work, contributing her expertise and labor to the campaigns of progressive candidates and initiatives.
Kounalakis was appointed at the US Ambassador to Hungary in 2010, serving side-by-side with President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. She was appointed by former San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to the San Francisco Port Commission, and currently chairs the California Advisory Council for International Trade and Investment.
Executive Director of Equality California Rick Zbur pointed to the groundbreaking election of Kounalakis as Lt. Governor as a symbol of California's diversity in a statement.
“In a representative democracy, it’s critical that our elected officials reflect the diverse identities and experiences of the people they serve,” said Zbur. “These exceptional leaders—who are LGBTQ, women, children of immigrants and people of color—do just that.”
Kounalakis has a BA in English from Dartmouth and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the American College of Greece. She and her husband, veteran journalist Markos Kounalakis, have two sons.
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