Takis P. Karantonis
Vice-Chair, Arlington County Board
Takis P. Karantonis is an economist and urban planner with more than 25 years of urban and regional planning experience. He was first elected to the County Board in a special election on July 7, 2020, to fill the seat vacated by the late Board Member Erik Gutshall and then re-elected on November 2, 2021, to serve a four-year term.
In 2024, Takis is serving as the County Board liaison to the, Economic Development Commission, Transportation Commission, Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee (formerly known as Neighborhoods Conservation Program), Northern Virginia Park Authority, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, Arlington Independent Media, and the National Landing Business Improvement District. Takis is also Co-Chair of the County Board’s Audit Committee and the County Board’s liaison to Arlington’s Sister Cities Association.
In the region, Takis serves as the Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Region Forward Coalition. He is the immediate past Chair and continues to be a member of the Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee (CEEPCE) and has been a member and also served as the Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee (MWAQC). He represents Arlington on the National Capital Regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB) and MWCOG’s Human Services Policy Committee. Takis represents Arlington on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Operations Board and on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).
Born in Athens, Greece, Takis studied economics in Germany, graduating from Berlin’s Freie Universität with a master’s degree in urban and regional economics, emphasizing on inequalities inherent to regional and urban development processes.
Until 2022, Takis was a Senior Technical Advisor for the Microloan Program at the Enterprise Development Group of the Ethiopian Community Development Center in Arlington, specializing in financial and technical support for, mostly minority and women owned, small businesses and startups. From 2009-2016 he served as the Executive Director of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO). During his tenure, he led the implementation of innovative urban revitalization policies, such as a Form Based Code and a place-making agenda throughout the Pike Corridor, engaging in policy and advocacy with an emphasis on public transit, land use, housing, retail, and economic development. His efforts resulted in the 2015 American Institute of Architects, Northern Virginia Chapter Award to CPRO for outstanding contributions to redevelopment and revitalization efforts on Columbia Pike.
Since arriving in Arlington 16 years ago, Takis has been a civically engaged community leader. He served in several resident advisory commissions. He is a member and former President of the Columbia Heights Civic Association. He served as a volunteer, member, and chair of the Board of Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (now EcoAction Arlington) and the Alliance for Housing Solutions. He is a former member of the Arlington Public Art Committee.
Takis is a graduate of Leadership Arlington (2010) and the University of Virginia Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership (2017). Thanks to his background and immigrant experience, Takis can communicate in Greek, English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Catalan. Takis and his wife, Dr. Lida Anestidou, live in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of South Arlington.