State Representative Steve Demetriou was our presenter on July 9th. He spoke following the induction of President Thane Billow. Thane's family met Steve a few years ago when he was running for office. He knocked on the front door at Thane's parents home. Thane shared "we immediately liked him because he was young, he was Greek, and he was a green beret".
Thane said, "this shows how you can make connections anywhere!"
With respect to Rotary being non-political, he made sure this was not a "political" presentation but informative.
Duty, Honor, Country: that’s the West Point motto which still guides Steve to this day as he serves Northeast Ohio in the Ohio House of Representatives.
One topic that was extremely informative touched on House Bill 295, which he introduced. House Bill 295 would require pornography websites to verify that users are adults, make it a crime for minors to lie about their age to access such sites, and ban “deepfake” porn portraying people without their consent. He graciously stayed after the meeting to continue answering questions.
At the close of his presentation, Representative Demetriou presented Past President Tom Knauer and Akron Police Chief Brian Harding with Challenge Coins.
About State Representative Steve Demetriou:
He is currently serving his first term in the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 35th House District which includes parts of Geauga, Portage, and Summit Counties.
Representative Demetriou studied economics at the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 2011 with Dean's List honors and a bachelor's degree. After West Point, Representative Demetriou was commissioned as an infantry officer in the United States Army.
During his time in the Army, Representative Demetriou completed Army Ranger and Airborne training. He served in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
After the military, Representative Demetriou started, grew, and eventually sold a small business where he employed over sixty people. He now runs multiple small businesses with his family.
Representative Demetriou and his wife Carly, a former schoolteacher, are raising their three young sons, Steven, Teddy, and James. The Demetrious are parishioners of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church where Representative Demetriou serves on the parish council.
