Eleni Kounalakis

Eleni Kounalakis was born on March 3, 1966, and is a native Californian. She is the daughter of a Greek immigrant and serves as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of California since January 7, 2019. She is the first woman elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor in California history and the first Greek American elected to the position.

Kounalakis is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to entering public service, she worked for 18 years as president of AKT Development Corporation, one of California's respected housing development firms, where she built master-planned communities and delivered quality housing to the Sacramento region.

Education

Kounalakis graduated from Dartmouth College in 1989 and earned her Master of Business Administration from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business in 1992.

Political Experience

Diplomatic Service: Kounalakis served as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary under President Barack Obama from 2010 to 2013.

State Office: In 2018, Kounalakis was elected Lieutenant Governor with 56.6% of the vote. She was re-elected in 2022 and took the oath of office for her second term in January 2023. As Lieutenant Governor, she serves as:
- Chair of the State Lands Commission, overseeing millions of acres of state-owned land and offshore oil resources
- Member of the California Ocean Protection Council and California Coastal Commission
- Representative for International Affairs and Trade for California, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom

Other Civic Service: She is a long-time Democratic activist who has played key roles in several presidential campaigns. She served as a member of California's First 5 Commission and the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism, demonstrating her passion for early childhood development. She is also a director of the Association of American Ambassadors and an advisor to the National Democratic Institute.