National President – Arlene Siavelis Kehl
Upon the appointment by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Arlene Siavelis Kehl serves as National President for the 2020-2022 term. A lifelong Chicagoan Arlene resides in Winnetka, Illinois with her husband Dr. Kenneth A. Kehl. She is a proud Wildcat alumna and received her B.S. from the School of Communications, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois majoring in Communications and minoring in Economics and her M.B.A. from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University with concentrations in Marketing, Finance, and Hospital and Health Services Management. Her professional experience is highlighted most notably by her 30 years as an executive/shareholder of Medline Industries, Inc. in the health care industry.
Arlene is an active lifetime steward of St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago and its Philoptochos chapter where she served as Treasurer and President, and the Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos where she served tirelessly on the Board in various capacities for 10 years.
In 1994, Arlene was appointed by His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory to the National Philoptochos Board, and for the last 26 years has embraced faithfully by giving of her time, talents, and treasures, and worked diligently to further the ministries of the “friends of the poor” while upholding the teachings of our Holy Greek Orthodox Church.
From 2002 to 2016, upon the appointment to the Executive Board by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America, Arlene has served for 2 years as Secretary, 4 years as Second Vice President, and 8 years as First Vice President.
In 2020, as President, Arlene sees a bright future to lead Philoptochos to new heights, and it is her fervent hope that love, grace, and truth will guide her and her Philoptochos sisters as they endeavor to make a significant difference in the lives of individuals and families in need and the less fortunate among us.