Dina's Greek heritage has always been close to her heart.
Alice Costandina Titus, better known to her Nevada constituents as Dina, grew up in Georgia, has lived in Nevada for over 40 years, and proudly represents Nevada’s First District in the United States Congress.
Dina’s Greek heritage has always been close to her heart. As a proud granddaughter of Greek immigrant Arthur Costandinos Cathones, Dina considers her Greek background to be an important part of her life even though she did not have the privilege of living in a large Greek community. Growing up in a small town in Georgia where her grandfather operated a restaurant, the family would have to drive to the nearest city – over a hundred miles away in Florida – to find feta cheese and Kalamata olives.
Rep. Titus at an American Hellenic Institute event.
Dina’s grandfather emigrated from Greece in 1911, landing at Ellis Island. Growing up, Dina had a close relationship with him, spending much of her free time helping him around his restaurant. Since there was no church or Greek school nearby, her grandfather taught her to count and write the alphabet in Greek and introduced her to wonderful Greek food. When they took family trips, the first thing Dina looked for at any restaurant was a calendar with a picture of the Parthenon on the walls to see if it was run by Greeks. Later Dina honored the life and memory of her grandfather by purchasing a brick with his name on it at the restored Ellis Island. Additionally, when she took the oath of office at the beginning of her tenure in Congress, she did so with her hand on her grandfather’s Greek Bible.
Rep. Titus traveling in Greece.
As an adult, Dina has fully embraced her Hellenic heritage. She first traveled to Greece in 1980, visiting relatives in Athens and Trikala, and has since returned a number of times. She loves traveling throughout the country with books on Greece’s rich history in hand in order to get a deeper understanding of the country’s regions, ruins, culture, and cuisine. In Las Vegas, Dina attends the St. John the Baptist Church and participates in activities of the Philoptochos Society and Daughters of Penelope. And, of course, she keeps in close touch with her fellow members of the Greek community in Las Vegas and around the country.
Rep. Titus with members of the National Hellenic Society.
As a proud Greek woman, Dina’s heritage has greatly influenced her outlook and perspective on life and the world. She has taught about democratic theories and principles derived from ancient Greece, especially Pericles, in the classroom throughout her thirty-four year tenure as a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has also spoken out in favor of Hellenism in the Nevada legislature where she sponsored resolutions honoring the consecration of the new Greek church in Las Vegas and recognizing that Macedonia is Greek. The Pan-Macedonian Association of America formally recognized her for this effort. She also received the Pericles award for civic leadership from the American Hellenic Council in Los Angeles in 2009 and was recognized by PSEKA at the 26th Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Dina was honored at the 2012 Salute to Women event hosted by the Daughters of Penelope.
Rep. Titus meeting with leaders from the AHEPA family.
In Congress, Dina sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is a member of the Hellenic Caucus. She has used these positions to stand in strong support of efforts to protect the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, reunify Cyprus, maintain the Greek sanctity of the name and symbols of Macedonia, and facilitate enduring stability throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region. As both Greece and Cyprus face the ever-changing challenges posed by climate change, she has advocated to ensure the United States provides robust assistance to meet these needs head on. She has cosponsored legislation to strengthen the defense partnership between the United States and Greece, including supporting Greek military modernization and multilateral security and energy investment into the 3+1 partnership among Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States.
Rep. Titus with the Greek Ambassador to the U.S., Haris Lalacos.
Dina has also been a leader in the effort to pass resolutions in the House recognizing the independence of Greece and the Daughters of Penelope. She is also a founding member of the Greek-Israeli Caucus started in 2013. Throughout her tenure in Washington, she has sought the wise counsel of members of the Greek community on these important issues and considers Rep. John Sarbanes (D) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R) close friends.
Rep. Titus meeting with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
In June of 2009, Dina was honored to represent President Obama at the opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, where she met with Greek leaders to discuss the important relationship between the United States and Greece. She has been privileged to meet with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on a number of occasions he has traveled to Washington. Dina’s work in building strong relationships with the embassies of Greece and Cyprus has further increased cooperation among Athens, Nicosia, and Washington.
