Maria Arnaoutaki

Having been raised in a family environment where politics have always been in the center of interest, Maria felt, in a rather early age, that she had to engage herself in this particular social sector. So, she studied Political Science at the University of Crete (UoC) and “European Public Policy” at the University College of London (UCL).

In the next period, she expects her Master’s Degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in “Journalism and Communication”.

The certification she received from Harvard Kennedy School in “Public Narrative: Leadership, Storytelling and Action” gave her the opportunity to study the relationship between modern leadership and public action.

In 2017, she was appointed as Head of the European Affairs of Hellenic Association of Political Scientists. HAPSc is in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). She has been in charge of organizing all over Greece simulations of regional and municipal councils operation, along with event planning and working on European projects. What challenges her is the difficulty to convince other people to take part in public affairs, communicating through dialogue and democratic procedures. In 2020, Maria was appointed as General Director of HAPSc.

At the time being, she has been working as a special advisor to a Greek MEP (Member of European Parliament) monitoring and briefing for the committees INTA (International Trade) and ENVI (Environment, Public Health and Food Safety) as well as advising on European matters and lobbying.