KENNETH SPILLIAS
Ken in his Pittsburgh home
ABOUT
Ken Spillias is a retired attorney who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating at the top of his class in law at the University of Pittsburgh, his early years consisted of governmental assignments as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice, an assistant district attorney in Pittsburgh and an assistant attorney general in Florida. In private practice he served as President and Managing Shareholder of a statewide Florida law firm. Throughout his law practice he has handled a number of public and high profile cases.
Ken has also been active in many community and philanthropic organizations. As a county commissioner he helped lead the successful effort to create a governmental organization in Palm Beach County, Florida, known as the Children’s Services Council which provides a dedicated funding source for the sole purpose of serving children in need. Ken was also a founding member of, and has served for over thirty years, on the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. Additionally, since 2004 Ken has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission, serving as Chairman from 2005 until 2021. In that role he has helped guide the county’s efforts to:
- attract filmmakers, studios and television programs
- encourage state government to assist these efforts financially
- develop young filmmakers through its Student Showcase of Films, an Academy Award-style competition for aspiring high school and college filmmakers throughout the state of Florida.
He retired in 2016 to concentrate on researching and writing about his family's unique family history.
Ken and his wife Monica have 3 grown children; Geoffrey, Alicia and Stephanie. Ken spends much of his time with other family members arguing via text during Pittsburgh sports team games.
Ken & his wife Monica in Greece
MY PATH NOW
BRINGING 'SIX YEARS OF FREEDOM' TO THE WORLD
I've spent the last 5 years carefully documenting this story by transcribing audio recordings of my mother's and then writing a manuscript. My mother Angeline also wrote a memoir of her experiences that provides me with a good source testimonial. Exploring this in detail has taught me that there is much more to the average life than we would normally think and that people live exceptional journeys that can inspire others. Up until I was 16 I had a mother and grandmother who I thought were simply that. The truth is that the triumph of love and morality over evil and cowardice not only changed my understanding of them forever, but completely changed my understanding of all people as well. If my mother and grandmother could do what they did then there is great potential within everyone.
To me, showcasing real heroes in feature films could do a lot of good right now given where so much of the world appears to be heading in the early stages of the 21st century.
Ken Spillias
Author
