“As a Serbian-American, I feel a deep sense of pride and responsibility

to promote the values that both of my countries hold dear:

freedom, democracy, and the pursuit of knowledge.”

— Michael I. Pupin

On Thursday, November 2, 2023, the Feast of the Nativity of St. Mardarije of Libertyville, His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America received the founders of the Pupin Initiative at the Episcopal Residence and Diocesan Center of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in New Rochelle, New York. Present wereExecutive Director Vuk Velebit, a leading new-generation political analyst; Operations Director Aleksandar Đaković, USA transportation manager; and Chairman Vladimir Milošević, co-founder and partner at a notable San Francisco technology studio.

The Pupin Initiative, as described by its founders, is predicated on the very values that Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin, renowned Serbian-American scientist and inventor, espoused over 100 years ago: “to promote the values that both of my countries hold dear: freedom, democracy, and the pursuit of knowledge.”

As such, aiming to bring together young entrepreneurs, cross-field experts, and value creators from both the United States and Serbia, they are focused on creating impactful networks through a bottom-up approach and providing an authentic understanding of local contexts through collaborative and non-partisan efforts and policies. The Pupin Initiative, a newly found hub for fostering USA-Serbia ties, is privately funded to insure maximum commitment and efficiency of cause through their offices in Belgrade and Washington, DC.

Bishop Irinej was pleased to share with the representatives of the Pupin Initiative from his font of knowledge and firsthand information, garnered from his years in the service of ecclesial diplomacy, through the Office of External Affairs of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States of America in Washington, DC, as well as consultant on interreligious and international affairs to the Holy Synod of Bishops in Belgrade, Serbia. Presently, as Bishop of Eastern America, His Grace continues his representational work, ex officio, in Washington, DC and New York City.