An Interview with Executive Director Constantine (Dean) Triantafilou

Constantine (Dean) Triantafilou has been leading International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) for over two decades. As Executive Director and CEO, he manages all facets of IOCC’s relief and development programs, including its international headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, and 10 field offices in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the US. Shortly after graduating in history from Texas A&M University in 1987, Triantafilou began his career in humanitarian assistance in the early 1990s with community-development projects for the Orthodox Church, working in Kenya and Tanzania. In 1993, Dean joined IOCC as Commodities Manager in the former Yugoslavia. He became the organization’s Balkans Representative in 1995 and Director of Programs in 1997, before taking the helm in 1998. Under his leadership, IOCC has distributed over $625 million in emergency assistance and development aid to families and communities in more than 60 countries across four continents. 

Editor Emeritus of the East-West Church Report, Dr. Mark R. Elliott, spoke to Dean about this wide-ranging experience.

Could you compare the role of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)? 

OCMC shares the faith through missions; IOCC, through humanitarian relief and development, demonstrates and lives the faith. I worked for OCMC during 1988-1989, and I’ve worked for IOCC since 1993.

What are your most important Orthodox sister relief NGOs abroad?

 IOCC works with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission (EOCDICAC); the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERD); Apostoli, the humanitarian arm of the Church of Greece; Diakonia Agape, the humanitarian arm of the Albanian Orthodox Church; and the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate. The existing service and ministry structures of Orthodox churches provide a builtin infrastructure for relief work on the ground, which can speed up the delivery of assistance. 

Have you had collaboration or joint projects with Church World Service, World Relief, World Vision, or Samaritan’s Purse? 

I sat on the board of directors of Church World Service (CWS) for 12 years, and IOCC works with them closely. For six years, I also served on the board of Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance). Before ACT, the World Council of Churches (WCC) coordinated appeals, funding some IOCC relief efforts in Bosnia. In the past, IOCC collaborated with World Vision in Romania, and, in a limited manner, Samaritan’s Purse, which supported us with gifts in kind. 

More recently known for his ministry in Albania, Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos) spent 1981-91 as acting archbishop in East Africa. Can you share about your work there? 

Archbishop Anastasios, always full of life, gave me my start in development, working on construction projects in Kenya. There I also worked with Metropolitan Jonah of Kampala and All Uganda, then Father Jonah Lwanga. In East Africa I saw faith in action.

What worked best in assisting war-torn BosniaHerzegovina? What was the hardest part of your work there? 

What worked best was keeping things simple and my relationship, as IOCC’s Country Representative, with the Serbian Orthodox Church. As for the hard parts, there were many: starting from scratch, struggles with bureaucracy, limited technology, international sanctions, and the constant threat of NATO bombings. Plus, at the time, I was young and inexperienced. 

When did IOCC Russian involvement end? After the initial Russian aid of 1992, what were the ongoing major involvements there?

IOCC maintains a relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church through the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department of External Church Relations. The aid offered in 1992-1997 was primarily food. We helped in the aftermath of the Beslan terrorist attack and assisted with HIV/AIDS response. IOCC also currently works in other former Soviet states, including Georgia, and we’ve had projects in Armenia and Ukraine. 

Are there particular biblical passages that undergird your philosophy of charitable work? 

Two come to mind: Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”; and Matthew 25:35-46, where Christ explains that when we give the hungry food and the thirsty water, and when we welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and the prisoner, we’re actually caring for Christ.

What are some best practices that you would recommend to all NGOs involved in relief ?

 Transparency and accountability are key. These are core to IOCC’s approach, and any organization should pursue them.

Could you give examples drawn from your experience in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe of lessons learned the hard way? 

One serious concern and lesson learned has to be how to protect staff and how to support their families if a crisis occurs. Working four years in Bosnia during the conflict taught me that relief work can be a risky business. 

How do you ensure accountability and monitor projects? 

In addition to IOCC’s board of directors, we have annual external audits, internal reviews of projects, and staff on the ground abroad, as well as in our Baltimore headquarters. We monitor and review projects continuously. 

What advice can you offer for maintaining good working relationships with government agencies? 

Treat everyone the same. Be transparent, open, and honest. Be smart with your ask, and show why your organization is unique. 

Do you have written policies for combatting fraud, bribery, and extortion? 

Yes, we do. In addition, IOCC follows the ACT Alliance policies and procedures of nondiscrimination and steers clear of exploitative business practices (actalliance. org/documents/anti-fraud-and-corruption-policy/). Have Ecumenical Patriarchate-Moscow Patriarchate tensions been a challenge in fulfilling any of your projects? No, they haven’t. We’re doing humanitarian relief, making our work for the Church a worthwhile common cause.

Have you ever held workshops for social ministry departments of overseas Orthodox Church staff on best practices? 

In 2004 IOCC helped organize the International Conference on the Social Witness and Service of the Orthodox Churches. 

Are there particular books, such as Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity and Charity Detox, that you would recommend to readers? 

Roland Huntford, The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen’s Race to the South Pole, rev. ed. (New York: Penguin Random House, 1999). Here we see the difference between Amundsen (organized) and Scott (unorganized) and the consequences of disorganization. 

Amy Gopp and Brandon Gilvin, eds., Help and Hope; Disaster Preparedness and Response Tools for Congregations (New York: Chalice Press, 2014). 

Peter M. Danilchick, Thy Will Be Done: Strategic Leadership, Planning, and Management for Christians (New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2016). 

Mario Morino et al., Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity (Washington: Venture Philanthropy Partners, 2011). 

Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich, The Life of St. Sava (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1989). 

What was your most rewarding and successful project? 

It’s difficult to choose, but one of the most exciting projects was our collaboration with the Serbian Orthodox Church, developing a bakery and winery in Kosovo. Beginning in 2001, this involved helping reestablish a monastery, providing employment for vineyard workers and bread makers, generating income for social ministries, and realizing success in having Serbians and Albanians working together.