Dr. Spiros Protopsaltis is Secretary General of Rural Development and Food at the Ministry of Rural Development and Food of the Hellenic Republic, since July 2025. His portfolio includes five main areas of responsibility: Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Veterinary Services and Decentralized Agencies. He also serves as the President of the Agriculture and Livestock Fund. Previously, he was the Governor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of DYPA, the Public Employment Service of Greece for six years, during which he also served as President of the National Council for Labor Force Skills, Chair and First Vice-Chair of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network) and National Coordinator for the European Year of Skills. Prior to his appointment at DYPA, he worked for 24 years in the USA as Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Education Policy at George Mason University, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education and Student Financial Aid at the U.S. Department of Education (Obama Administration), Senior Higher Education Advisor to the Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and as Senior Policy Advisor to Congressman (and current Governor of Colorado) Jared Polis on the House Committee on Education and Labor in Washington, DC. Dr. Protopsaltis is an Athens College alumnus and earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Northeastern University in Boston, a master's degree from The New School University in New York, and a PhD from the University of Colorado in Denver.