Faculty Profiles

Plato Baganis:  Mr Baganis attended the Athens School of Law and holds diplomas from IATA-UFTAA, Olympic Airways, WORLDSPAN, and Amadeus.  He was general manager of several travel and tourism enterprises in Athens before joining Alpine almost 18 years ago.  He is fluent in Greek, English, French, Arabic and Italian.  At Alpine he teaches airline and rail operations.

Sarah Bougos: Ms Bougos graduated from the University of Wolverhampton, England, with a degree in Spanish and Linguistics before embarking on a career representing UK tour operators in France and Spain. She graduated from the University of Greenwich in 1998 with a PGCE (FE).  Sarah lectured in travel and tourism for five years at two UK colleges of Further and Higher Education before relocating to Athens in 2003. In 2004 she volunteered for the Olympics where she was posted as a Protocol Attendant in the boxing arena.

Alan Cresswell:  Mr Cresswell has B.ED (Hons) and numerous professional certifications in teaching, hospitality, and health and safety including a Level 4 Specialist Qualification in teaching English.  He has worked as a contracts monitoring officer, training and development officer and more recently as an assessor and tutor for City Training Services.  At Alpine he is a lecturer in food science, nutrition and food production theory.

Alan Furlong:  Mr Furlong received his BA in Hotel Management from the Mayo Institute of Technology and his MBS in Tourism and Transport from University College Dublin.  He has been a restaurant manager and catering skills instructor in Ireland, and more recently a hospitality consultant in London.  He enjoys soccer, golf and hurling.  At Alpine he is the Hotel Operations Manager and also a course tutor.

Georgia Kofinas:  Mrs Kofinas has a BA in History from the University of North Carolina and a USA Certificate of Secondary education.  She has been an English language teacher in Greece for the past 20 years.  She has authored and translated numerous Greek cookbooks along with being active in Greek gastronomy associations.  She has been a lecturer in Advanced Menu Planning and Food Culture at Alpine since 1999.

Chef Rudolf Luetolf:  Chef Luetolf is a Certified Hospitality educator (CHE) and has held the position of Pastry Chef at leading hotels in Switzerland, Thailand, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.  He also has served as a Senior Food Lecturer at IHTTI-Switzerland and University Center Cesar Ritz-Switzerland.  Chef Luetolf led the kitchen department of the House of Switzerland during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.  He currently is Executive Chef/Instructor at Alpine.

Dr Michael M. Lefever, PhD, FIH:  Dr Lefever received his BA with Honors and MA in Psychology from the University of California-Davis and his PhD in Psychology from La Jolla.  He has been a professor, director and dean at Purdue University, University of Houston, University of Massachusetts/Amherst and Georgia State University, and was executive editor and publisher of several leading tourism/business research journals. Dr Lefever also has 20 years industry experience as president/CEO of a multi-unit restaurant company in California and vice president of a Boston subsidiary of Compass Ltd/London.  After 10 years of service to Alpine Center as a member of the board of directors and as academic dean, and a total of 25 years of service to the profession of higher education, Dr Lefever has been appointed Professor Emeritus for his outstanding contributions.

Yiannis Megaloeconomou:  Mr Megaloeconomou obtained both his BA in Business Administration/Management and MBA in Finance from Saint Xavier University’s Graham School of Management in Chicago, Illinois.  In September 1998, Mr Megaloeconomou returned to Athens and took up his first lecturing position at ICON International Training Ltd, teaching modules on the University of Leicester and University of Surrey’s MBA and Msc programmes.  At Alpine Center, Mr Megaloeconomou is lecturer in Accounting and Finance on the MA, BA(Hons), Swiss Diploma and HND programmes.

Dr Georgios Papageorgiou:  Dr Papageorgiou received his MSc and PhD in tourism policy and management at the University of Birmingham.  He has served as a lecturer and programme leader in tourism at the University of Surrey.  Dr Papageorgiou has published numerous research articles and is very active in professional associations. He also worked as Olympic and Paralympic resident Center Supervisor for the 2004 Athens Games.  His hobbies include music, photography and cycling.  At Alpine he is course tutor for BA(Hons) and BA(Ord) and lecturer in marketing and management.  In January 2008 he will become Alpine’s academic dean.

Marina Papas:   Ms Papas holds an MS degree in Occupational Psychology from the University of London and a BA(Hons) in psychology from City University, London.  She has been a lecturer for personal training programs for EUROAIR Airlines and also a lecturer in human resources management at the University of Surrey.  Her hobbies include sculpting, volleyball and swimming.  At Alpine she is a lecturer in human resources management and applied leadership.

Dr Eleni Papathanasopoulou:  Dr Papathanasopoulou received her MSc in International Economics aand Policy and her PhD in Environmental Strategy from the University of Surrey.  She has worked as a technical officer for Westminster City Council and Research Fellow/Lecturer at the University of Surrey.  She has published numerous research articles and presented numerous papers on environmental issues.  At Alpine she is course tutor for the HND and lecturer in Research Skills and Methods.

Jean-Pierre Perpinias:  Mr Perpinias was educated in Brussels at the Institut Provencial des Industries Alimentaires et du Tourisme.  Since 1980 he has been Sales Manager and General Manager of several prestigious hotels in Greece including Athenaeum Intercontinental, Astir Palace and Grecotel Vouliagmenis Suites.  He speaks five languages:  Greek, French, English, German and Italian, and spends much of his free time sailing.

Chef Paul Simotopoulos:  Chef Simotopoulos received a Certificate in Culinary Arts with honours from Alpine Center and took his practical training at the Windermere Hydro Hotel in the UK.  He has since worked as a Sous Chef with Sofitel Hotels in Athens and Chicago.  Chef Simotopoulos has achieved numerous awards in Greek culinary competitions and in Sofitel culinary events.

Dr Phaidon Theofanides:  Dr Theofanides received his MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff, and his PhD in marketing from the University of Piraeus.  He has been a lecturer in marketing at BCA College, the Greek Open University and TEI Athens.  His research includes topics such as SME management and integration into the EU. At Alpine he is a lecturer in E-Business in the MA programme.

Maria Proietti Tocca:  Ms Proietti Tocca is a BA(Hons) graduate of the University of Central England and a postgraduate student of Staffordshire University (Bursary Place), specialising in Industrial Design for porcelain and glass.  She was the head designer for Greece’s leading industrial tile manufacturer, Philkeram and Johnson SA.  Presently she is the design coordinator and interior designer for Alpha Ktimatiki, Real Estate and Construction in Athens.  She also is the Foundation course tutor and business communication lecturer at Alpine Center.

Andreas Toumazatos:  Mr Toumazatos received an MSc degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Bournemouth University.  He has been a Human Resources Manager and Food and Beverage Manager for Intersalas Catering, Hilton Hotels and Compass Group, Ltd.  Mr Toumazatos has been a professor in restaurant operations at the Organisation of Tourism Education and Training, Le Monde and Athens National School of Tourism Professions.  He was awarded the Jim Benzie Memorial Award at Dundee College in 2000.

Pantelis Zafiriou:  Mr Zafiriou received his BA degree in business management from T.E.I. University in Athens, and he is a Certified Hospitality Instructor (CHI).  He has worked as a hospitality instructor at Clark County Skills Center in Vancouver, Washington.  He also was a multi-unit manager for Bon Appetit Management Company in Seattle.  At Alpine he is course tutor for events and conventions management and lecturer in product design and development.