December 5, 2013
President Barack Obama has nominated George J. Tsunis ’92 as the United States Ambassador to Norway. The appointment is pending confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate.
A businessman, and philanthropist active in the Greek-American community, Tsunis is the founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Chartwell Hotels LLC, which owns, develops and manages Hilton, Marriott, and Intercontinental hotels across the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states. Prior to founding Chartwell Hotels, he was a partner at Rivkin Radler LLP, where he represented private clients and municipalities land use and zoning, real estate, corporate, municipal law and commercial litigation matters.
Tsunis' past public service includes time as a Legislative Attorney at the New York City Council, Special Counsel to the Town of Huntington Environmental Open Space Committee, and as Counsel to the Dix Hills Water District.
He is currently a member of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and of both the Faith and Leadership 100 Endowments. Tsunis is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Order of Saint Andrew) — the highest ecclesiastical honor that can be bestowed upon a layman — and serves on its National Council. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Friend's Academy, a member of the Brookings Institution's Foreign Policy Leadership Committee and its Metropolitan Leadership Council, and serves as a Director of the Don Monti Foundation and of the Business Executives for National Security.
Among other honors, Tsunis is the recipient of the Dowling College Presidential Medal, the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for Long Island Cares, the WLIW Channel 21 Person of the Year, Long Island Business News 40 most influential people on Long Island under 40 years old, and the recipient of the Cyprus Federation’s Justice for Cyprus Award, which was personally awarded to him by former President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias.