Carol Bonomo Albright has been editor-in-chief of Italian Americana for almost twenty-five years. She is active in literary and historical associations and was a two-term Vice-President of the American Italian Historical Association. She taught Italian American Studies at Harvard University Extension and has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard College as well. She is co-editor of American Woman, Italian Style: Italian Americana’s Best Writings on Women (Fordham University Press, 2010): of Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana’s Short Stories, Memoirs and Poems (Fordham University Press, 2008).In 2004 she re-discovered and co-edited an annotated edition of two of Joseph Rocchietti’s works, written in 1835 and l845, making one of them the first Italian-American novel. She co-edited an anthology, Italian Immigrants Go West, and was series editor of Italian American Autobiographies. A section of her memoir, “Washington Square,” was published in Our Roots Are Deep with Passion and later published in Italy in Italian; another section can be found in the Harvard University Journal of Italian American Studies; the complete memoir was published in 2009. She published essays in, The Dream Book: Writings by Italian American Women; in Voices of the Daughters; Social Pluralism and Literary History; and articles and reviews in the Journal of American Ethnic History, PMLA, LIT, and MELUS. She has also written reviews and articles for the Providence Journal. She has received numerous grants and awards, including being named an Associate Fellow of the Danforth Foundation of Higher Education and receiving, a university-to-community outreach grant from that foundation. Most recently she has initiated a free Web Site Supplement to Italian Americana.  The first issue is Foods of Affection (very short stories about food and love) with Italian recipes.

 

Lisa Bergeron is a leadership consultant and president of Leading Women New England (LWNE) – a cutting edge provider of leadership development solutions that helps women and companies achieve their goals for women’s advancement. She understands that there is no single model of success for women and that it spans age, race and nationalities. LWNE connects a diverse community of women through networking, mentoring and innovative leadership programs all designed to provide what women need to be inspired and empowered to succeed. LWNE has supported the internal women’s networks and initiatives at companies across the region including at Pfizer, GTECH, DePuy Synthes (J&J), AIPSO, CVS, MFS, MITRE, Amgen, Sensata, T.J. Maxx, Nokia, as well as many regional accounting and law firms. Lisa serves on the Board of Directors of Coastline EAP, is an executive member of the United Way of RI’s Women’s Leadership Council and Vision 2020 RI. She was recognized nationally by the YWCA of Northern RI as a Women of Achievement in the category of Increasing Women’s Income. Lisa is a featured co-host on radio shows “Positive Business” on 790-WPRV and “It’s All in the B.R.A.: Business-Revenue-Assets” on Contact Talk Radio International. She is a Certified CCU Business Essential Coach, TTI Certified Behavior Analyst, RAB Certified Marketing Consultant and Certified Creativity Coach. Lisa resides in Hopkinton, RI with her husband Phil. She is mother of three grown children, Daniel, Gabriel and Austin.

Louise Rosarbo Dinsmore, originally from New Haven, CT, is a graduate of Providence College.  She began her career working for Congressman Ronald K. Machtley and was a member of his congressional staff in Rhode Island and Washington DC for 6 years.   Louise has been a fundraiser in Rhode Island since 1994 and worked at the Rhode Island School of Design and at the University of Rhode Island. She managed a $15 million capital campaign at the University of Rhode Island where the money raised built the Thomas M. Ryan Center.  She was also part of the philanthropy team at Women & Infants Hospital where the team raised $23 million to build a new neonatal intensive care unit.  She started her own fund raising consulting practice in 2009, Partners in Philanthropy, and has worked with many non-profit clients including the Amos House, Sophia Academy, J. Arthur Trudeau Center, The Compass School, Trinity Repertory Company, and the Providence Center to name just a few. In 2011, Louise and her husband, Jeffrey, founded the Gabrielle Dinsmore Heart & Hope Fund, named after their late daughter, to help children and families impacted by congenital heart disease, heart defects and severe feeding issues.

These honorees’ accomplishments will be recognized by NOIAW on Sunday, January 12, 2014 at the Providence Biltmore in Providence, RI.