Dr. Aileen Riotto Sirey founded the National Organization of Italian American Women in 1980 and served the organization for 32 years as the first President for 7 years, and 25 years as Chairwoman. Dr. Sirey is currently a NOIAW board member for life with the title Founder, Chair Emerita. Geraldine Ferraro made the suggestion that Aileen start the organization and they invited Founding members Matilda Raffa Cuomo, Donna de Matteo, Constance Mandina, Roseanne Coletti and others to attend the first meeting.
Dr. Sirey is a retired psychotherapist and recipient of numerous awards including the titles of Commendatore and Cavaliere, the Order of the Merit of Republic of Italy, Distinguished Alumna of Brooklyn College and Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Maria Tamburri was a managing partner/principal for West Hudson, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in management development and labor productivity. Her prior professional experience was in human resources and executive recruitment. Ms. Tamburri has served on several not-for-profit boards and was NOIAW’s Executive Director from 2008 to 2011.
A highly accomplished communications and public affairs executive, Pat Tinto’s portfolio encompasses in-depth experience in the fields of strategic planning, media relations, government affairs, crisis management and special events.
Pat leads an eponymous Communications & Creative Strategies consulting firm where her clients have included The Little Orchestra Society, CMW Strategies, Awaken Recovery Center, LIFTT Confidential, Westchester Jewish Center, and the Women’s Business and Development Council of CT (WBDC)
Following her passion for all things Italian, Pat founded: Vini, Vitti, Dici –Wines, Food and Conversation Italian Style! – A cultural salon for Italophiles, oenophiles and foodies alike. The salon features weekly sessions of “Caffe’ e Conversazione” in Italian and a bi-monthly book club called Libro e Aperitivo, a good read accompanied by a fine wine or aperitvo to whet your literary and cultural appetites.
For three years. Pat served as the President of the Connecticut Region of the National Organization of Italian American Women until being elected to the office of President of NOIAW.
An English major with a concentration in Writing, Pat earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University and studied at the Universita` per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy. Pat also served three terms on the Alumnae Association of Barnard College’s (AABC) board of directors where she headed the college-wide reunion program and chaired Barnard College’s Regional Networks Committee.
Diana Femia served as Senior Director of Marketing for the New York Mercantile Exchange for more than twenty-three years. A longterm NOIAW member, Ms. Femia joined in 1982 and served as a board member and First Vice President. After relocating to Washington, DC, she launched the Greater Washington DC Region in 2008.
Dr. Donna M. Chirico is Professor of Psychology and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at York College/CUNY, where she established the York College Women’s Center as a permanent space on the campus to offer programming and assistance. Dr. Chirico serves on the Executive Committee of the Italian American Studies Association, is Chair of the Italian American Faculty Staff Advisory Council of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, and is president of the American arm of the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance (ILICA.) She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from The City University of New York, a masters in Counseling Psychology from Fordham University, and a doctorate in Religion and Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Anne Marie D’Attelo, Esq. has been a practicing attorney since 1985 and is admitted to the Bar in both Rhode Island and Connecticut. She is currently Counsel at AIPSO in Johnston, Rhode Island. Ms. D’Attelo was formerly a Managing Attorney with Zurich North America.
Robyn Imbimbo is the founder of Noline NYC, a unique marketing resource for corporations and agencies, established in 2003. She’s a dynamic, results-oriented brand-builder, delivering insights, strategy and integrated solutions that drive brand success within today’s complex, cluttered, and competitive marketplace and media landscape. Robyn’s talents have impacted a broad range of clients including Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Crayola, Hershey, Revlon, Comcast, Southern Comfort, Tropicana and Gatorade. Previously she served as the Executive Vice President of Draft Worldwide where she built the agency’s New York-based promotional marketing division. Robyn is a proud Italian American and NOIAW board member.
Marchese brings to NOIAW a passion for the arts, food, education and the environment. She is the founder of the brand Red Bee Honey and the author of 3 books about travels around Italy with bees and honey. Marchese is a member and a docent for the Italian Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey. A graduate of The School of Visual Arts in NYC, Marchese is also an artist and designer and a native Nutmegger.
Mary Ann Mattone’s professional background began in psychiatric nursing where she served as Research Coordinator for Neuroendocrine Studies at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and at the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University, where she later became Acting Director of Nursing. Ms. Mattone left academia in 1982 and worked as a broker in domestic and foreign exchange markets on Wall Street before joining her family’s real estate business. Ms. Mattone has been involved in philanthropic pursuits in the Italian American community and the community at large for many years.
MaryRose Barranco Morris, Ed.D. received her Doctor of Education Degree at Teachers College Columbia University (TC) in 2005. She served TC for ten years as an Academic Director in The Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation and then served as founder and Dean of The Center for Innovative Education in the Arts, Culture and Horticulture for Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Staten Island. In 2011, she completed her first book, Linking Learning to Strategy Formation, creating and implementing strategic learning in not-for-profit organizations. Currently, Dr. Morris is an Adult Learning and Leadership Consultant.
NOIAW Founding Member Donna de Matteo is Executive Director of the HB Playwrights Foundation and Theatre; Vice President of the Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio as well as Playwriting Chair at HB Studio. Among her accolades, her play, Her Name is Kathy, was included in The Best Short Plays 2001-2002, and one of her most recent plays, The Heart Transplant, starred her Emmy-award-winning daughter, Drea de Matteo.
Hon. Angela Mazzarelli serves as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department of the New York State Supreme Court. Justice Mazzarelli was designated to this position in 1994 by Governor Mario M. Cuomo and became the second woman appointed to ever sit in that court. In 2017, Justice Mazzarelli was appointed to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. In 1992, Justice Mazzarelli was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York. In 1985, she was elected to the Civil Court of the City of New York and was assigned to sit in the Criminal Court.
Gemma Puglisi is an author, media expert, pundit and full-time Assistant Professor of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. A first-generation Italian American, she was knighted by the Republic of Italy in 2006 for her work promoting Italian language and culture. Puglisi is an award-winning media strategist and producer with more than 25 years of experience. During her career she has worked in broadcast news, public relations, entertainment, and the financial sector, where she was a market reporter/media relations specialist for Nasdaq. Her classes have won recognition from the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and other organizations.
Rebecca Monck Ricigliano is a partner in the White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement Group at Crowell & Moring, LLP in New York, and a member of the group’s Steering Committee. Rebecca is an experienced trial and investigations lawyer, who served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and as the second highest ranking executive at the New Jersey Attorney General’s office. She conducts internal investigations for foreign and domestic clients and represents individuals and companies in grand jury and regulatory investigations, criminal trials, and civil enforcement actions. Prior to her government service, Rebecca was an associate at one of New York’s leading white collar criminal defense law firms.
Vittoria (Vicky) Pace is a Vice President of Personal Lines Auto Claims at The Hartford. She has an extensive background in Claims, Supplier Management (on and off shore), Client Relationships, Customer Experience, Innovation, Organizational Design and Strategy Development. Her recent activities include the development and implementation of artificial intelligence and augmented decision making models in the auto and property claim handling models. Vittoria is also deeply engaged with the United Way of Central and Northeastern CT where she serves on its Board of Directors as Vice-Chair. She also is a member of the Board of Directors’ Executive Committee. She is the Past Chair of Women United, where under her leadership, the committee had its most successful fund raising campaigns, with $1.5M in contributions raised during her tenure. Vittoria resides in Glastonbury, CT and is a proud Italian American, with her parents having immigrated to the United States after World War II. She is an avid traveler, golfer and tennis player, having played competitively in college and as a member of the USTA.
Betty Santangelo, Esq,, partner at Schulte Roth & Zabel, LLP is widely known and honored for her expertise in securities enforcement and corporate compliance issues. She has been honored as one of the Best Lawyers in America, a New York Super Lawyer and received the 2008 Burton Award for Legal Achievement. She served as Chair of the National Board of NOIAW from 2012-2014.
Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books in fiction and nonfiction, which have been published in thirty-eight languages around the world. She is an award-winning playwright, television writer and producer, and filmmaker. She wrote and directed the film version of her debut novel Big Stone Gap, which was shot entirely on location in her Virginia hometown. Her screen adaptation of Very Valentine debuted on Lifetime television in June 2019. Adriana directed the feature film Then Came You, starring Craig Ferguson and Kathie Lee Gifford, filmed on location in Scotland. The film was released in October 2020, debuting as the #1 Comedy in America. Adriana is the cofounder of The Origin Project, an in-school writing program that serves more than 2,500 students grades 1-12 in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia.
The House of Love, Adriana’s first picture book for children from Viking will be published on December 28, 2021. Adriana’s latest novel, The Good Left Undone, will be published April 2022 (PRH/Dutton). Adriana hosts a weekly Facebook Live show, Adriana Ink, every Tuesday evening at 6 PM EST featuring conversations with the world’s greatest authors. Follow along with Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani. Adriana lives in New York City with her family.
Maria T. Vullo, Esq. has been a Partner in the Litigation Department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP for more than twenty-one years. In 2010, she was the Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice at the Office of the New York Attorney General, Andrew M. Cuomo. Ms. Vullo was also Special Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Government Operations Committee, Employment and Housing Subcommittee. She was named one of America’s Top Women Litigators by The National Law Journal in 2001.
Tagliaferri brings to NOIAW a deep, well-rounded portfolio in nonprofit administration. Her career spans some 25 years with experience in museums, arts organizations and educational institutions. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Tagliaferri is a native Rhode Islander and a resident of Cranston.
LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH
MARGARET I. CUOMO, M.D.
MATILDA RAFFA CUOMO*
HON. ROSA L. DELAURO
HON. GERALDINE A. FERRARO*†
HON. MARIE GARIBALDI†
HON. PATRICIA DE STACY HARRISON
KATHERINE LAGUARDIA, M.D.
HON. NANCY PELOSI
REGINA S. PERUGGI, MBA, ED.D.
HON. NATALIA QUINTAVALLE
BARONESSA MARIUCCIA ZERILLI-MARIMÒ†
ITALY: SUSY MARRA
AUSTRALIA: HON. FRANCA ARENA
ARGENTINA: MARIA DEL CARMEN RONI
*Founding Member