The Daughters of Penelope, a leading international service organization comprised of women of Hellenic heritage and Philhellenes, is proud to announce Dody Tsiantar as the 2026 Salute to Women Award recipient.
Life is not limited to one career path—especially when you have the courage to open the doors that appear before you. Dody Tsiantar, a Greek American born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, exemplifies this truth with a remarkable 30-year career spanning journalism, teaching, publishing entrepreneurship, and, most recently, photography.
After earning her Master’s degree from Columbia University and her Bachelor’s from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Ms. Tsiantar began her full-time journalism career in 1981. Over the years, she wrote for prestigious publications such as The Washington Post, Newsweek, Money, Fortune, In Style, and Time, and took on leadership roles managing editorial sections at Newsweek, Money, In Style, and Time.
In 2006, she transitioned to academia, teaching graduate students at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York. Over the years, Ms. Tsiantar has inspired and mentored aspiring journalists, helping them master the craft of ethical storytelling. Former students continue to reach out for her advice and guidance.
Throughout her teaching career, she also freelanced for top-tier outlets including Time, Fortune, Al Jazeera America, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, CNN Money, Buzzfeed, and Quartz. Notably, in 2015, she covered the Greek financial crisis for multiple publications, drawing on her deep connection to Greece.
After retiring from teaching, Ms. Tsiantar embraced a new passion—photography—focusing on doors, which symbolize opportunities and new beginnings. What started as an Instagram hobby evolved into a professional pursuit. Her photographic series, Glimpses of Greece: Door Portraits, has been exhibited at the Embassy of Greece in Washington, D.C. (May 2023) and the Chalkos Gallery in Thessaloniki (June 2025). She is preparing for her next exhibition featuring photos of doors in Larnaca, scheduled for this summer.
As she often reflects, English poet William Blake said, “In the universe there are things that are known, and things that are unknown—and in between, there are doors.” Dody Tsiantar’s life is a testament to opening those doors and embracing the opportunities they offer to grow, explore, and inspire.
Ms. Tsiantar will be presented with the prestigious 2026 Salute to Women award during the Daughters of Penelope Supreme Convention in Philadelphia, PA on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at the Sheraton Philadelphia Hotel, in conjunction with the ongoing 250th Celebration of the United States in that city, this coming July.
Photos: Hellenic DNA
