Peter Petersen (Petropoulos), the billionaire co-founder of Blackrock, was the last Greek-American to be Secretary of a Federal government department. He was the Secretary of Commerce in the Nixon Administration from February 29, 1972 to February 1, 1973.
Forty years later it looks like we are going to have a Greek-American Secretary of Health and Human Services: Sylvia Mary Mathews Burwell, if all goes well with the nomination process.
It is a critical appointment for President Obama. How that department fares under her leadership may determine his legacy to a great extent, given that to this point the centerpiece of his presidency has been the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka “Obamacare.”
National Herald were the ones to break the news, on noon last Friday on their website, that Burwell is a Greek-American – her mother’s maiden name is Maroudas. Since then, there has been lively discussion in the community about who the nominee is and whether her appointment affects us.
Burwell was not widely-known in the community, despite the fact that she was the Director of the important Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the White House.
Perhaps it is because she was born in a small town, Hinton, in West Virginia, where there are few Hellenes.  Or maybe it is because she has not had much interaction with the community. Nonetheless, she was present at the Greek Independence celebration at the White House on April 4 and has been in contact with some important community leaders in DC.
This is a typical case. The community at large is not aware of the identity of a Greek-American until he or she becomes famous. That pattern seems to be inevitable.
As to whether it matters that a Greek-American has attained a high position, the answer is yes, it is important, indeed.
She is an excellent example for our children. She helps Hellenism’s image.
Ultimately, is a matter of honor and pride: recognition of the talent and values of our people.
And, forgive our bias, but we have faith that a Greek-American in that capacity will do an outstanding job.
We hope that Burwell is approved by Congress expeditiously and we wish her success in such an influential and challenging role.

National Herald