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.

Patricia “Pat” Tinto was recently elected Chair of the National Organization of Italian American Women. Previously Pat served as National President of NOIAW, and as regional director for NOIAW in the State of Connecticut before that. A daughter of Italian immigrants, Pat Tinto was the first woman in her family to attend college. As an undergraduate at Barnard College, Pat minored in Italian and took courses at the Casa Italiana where she was Vice President of the Columbia University Italian Cultural Club. She also studied at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy.  Pat turned her passion for the Italian language into Vini, Vitti, Dici – a cultural salon for Italophiles, where she facilitated a weekly “Caffé and Conversazione” group and a book club called Libro e Aperitivo, a good read accompanied by an aperitivo to whet literary and cultural appetites. ViniVittiDici.com is an extension of Pat’s strategic communications firm PatTinto.com. Now a resident of Florida, Pat is also a member of NIAF, of the Italian Club of Tampa, and the Women’s Initiative of the Italian American Democratic Council.

Anne Marie D’Attelo, Esq. has been a member of the Board of Directors for the National Organization of Italian American Women since 2010 and served as the organization’s first Rhode Island Region President from 2010-2019.  Anne Marie retired in 2024 after a long career in the insurance industry, most recently as a Senior Counsel at AIPSO, a national advisory and service provider organization for various insurance industry groups.  She is also a former Managing Attorney and Assistant Vice-President for a large commercial insurance carrier within its Legal Services Group.

Vittoria (Vicky) Pace is a Vice President at The Hartford. She has an extensive background in Premium Audit, Claims, Catastrophe Management, 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 as the Chair of the their Foundation and is immediate past chair of the core organization’s Board of Directors. She also is a member of the Board of Directors’ Executive Committee.
In December of 2019, Vittoria was also named to the Board of Directors of the Jordan Porco Foundation, whose mission is to prevent suicide, promote mental health and create a message of hope for young adults.  She holds the position of Secretary on its Board of Directors.

In January 2020, Vittoria was recognized by the National Organization of Italian American Women as a “2020 Wise Women” for her dedication and accomplishments as a woman of Italian American descent.  In 2022, she was named to its national Board of Directors.

In 2024, Vittoria was named to the Advisory Board for the University of New Haven’s Transformative Leadership Program, where she plays a pivotal role in fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment that encourages personal and professional growth for the students.

Also in 2024, she was named as a Director for the CT World Affairs Council, whose mission is to promote greater awareness and dialogue on global issues, with an emphasis on community engagement and collaboration.

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 and sportsperson, enjoying golf, pickleball and tennis.

Justice Adams was appointed as the Administrative Judge for Manhattan Civil Supreme Court in October of 2024, by Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas and First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George. She oversees the day-to-day operation of one of the State’s busiest courts of civil jurisdiction including 60 Supreme Court Justices, 285 court staff (non-uniform), 104 court staff (uniform), and 121 chambers staff.

Prior to her appointment, Justice Adams was an Acting Supreme Court Justice in New York County from 2020 to 2024. This included a special assignment of cases affiliated with the Adult Survivor’s Act, and the Coogan Law, which protects child actors’ earning.  She also conducted jury trials for all types of civil litigation including, toxic torts (asbestos and talc), general negligence, medical malpractice, contracts, commercial disputes and motor vehicle accidents. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she oversaw all litigation involving the New York City Transit Authority, in New York County.

Before her election to the New York City Civil Court in November of 2017, Justice Adams practiced nearly twenty years as a litigator in the New York State Courts.  She was a partner at a Manhattan based, women owned law firm, and founded a Manhattan based litigation law firm where she was the managing partner.  Before becoming a judge, she received a Proclamation from the New York State Assembly in recognition of her volunteer legal work at the Eviction Intervention Services Clinic.

Her judicial assignments have included Criminal Court and Family Court. In 2019, Justice Adams was chosen by the Office of Court Administration to be one of the six judges to oversee the newly formed “Raise the Age” part in Family Court.  She was chosen for this role because of her holistic approach to adjudicating troubled youth and alternatives to incarceration. The “Raise the Age” part, formed in 2019, was created to adjudicate children under the age of 18 as minors in Family Court, in certain situations, instead of adults in Criminal Court.

She was formerly the co-chair of the New York County Lawyers Association Civil Court Section and formerly the chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Columbian Lawyers Association, First Judicial Department. Currently, she a member of the executive board for the Columbian Lawyers Association, First Judicial Department, the National Organization of Italian American Women, and the New York County Lawyers Association.  She is a member of the House of Delegates for the New York County Lawyers Association, and the New York State Bar Association.

Judge Adams strongly supports mentorship to promote interest in the legal profession and court careers, as well as a pathway to the bench for attorneys from underrepresented populations. The Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission (part of the Office of Court Administration) chose Justice Adams to serve as a Judicial Mentor in the Special Master’s Program.  The Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission is committed to ensuring fair and respectful treatment for all who enter or serve in the courts, and to eliminate barriers to equity.  In her role, Justice Adams focuses on inspiring attorneys from underrepresented communities to become judges.

Lisa Barbaccio is a strategy-oriented, effective leader with a history of successful initiatives in process optimization, operations management, and consulting.
Born in southern New Jersey (near Philadelphia) and now a long-term resident of New York City, Lisa has a diverse upbringing that was surrounded in Italian culture. Academically, Lisa holds a doctorate in business administration, a master’s degree in public administration, and a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She’s also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Currently, she serves as the Head of Strategy and Business Planning for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s New York market. In this role, she is responsible for driving growth and delivering value through the development, refinement, and execution of organizational strategies and business planning. Anthem services over 3.5 million health insurance members, steadfast in a mission to improve the lives of all New Yorkers. Lisa’s expertise extends beyond her professional and academic achievements.
As a world traveler and dual citizen of Italy, she embodies a passion for cultural exploration and learning. She joined NOIAW in 2022 and has found meaningful education and networking within the organization. In her spare time, Lisa is also a dedicated member of the New York Junior League, currently serving as the Secretary on the Volunteering Committee Board.

Cristina Carabetta, Esq. is the Founder and Principal Attorney at The Legal Consult Group, owner of the luxury brand Betta Bag, and Chairperson of the National Italian American Bar Association. Cristina founded The Legal Consult Group to assist startups and small businesses navigate the business and legal arena. While practicing in the corporate world, Cristina saw the daily inequalities women face. The limited access to stylish professional handbags was an area Cristina knew she could fix. In 2021, Cristina founded Betta Bag. A luxury brand founded for women by women. Cristina attributes her fashion inspiration to her Italian American heritage. To remain connected to her roots, Cristina commits to manufacturing all products in Italy. Through The Legal Consult Group and Betta Bag, Cristina strives to promote social awareness through fair wages, educational incentives, and equal employment opportunities. She is committed to inspiring positive criminal justice reform and ending the parole-to-prison pipeline through charitable initiatives and partnerships.

Angela M. Mazzarelli was an Associate Justice for the Appellate Division, First Department from 1994 to 2022. When first designated in 1994, Justice Mazzarelli was only the second woman, and the first Italian American woman, to be appointed as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department. Notably, she has served longer than any other woman as an Appellate Judge in New York State. She was educated in the public schools of Southboro, Massachusetts, and went on to graduate with honors from Brandeis University. Justice Mazzarelli received her Juris Doctor Degree from the Columbia University school of Law, where she was a teaching fellow in property law. Upon her graduation from Law School, Justice Mazzarelli worked as a Legal Services lawyer in the South Bronxs. She then spent seven years working in the Civil Term of the Supreme Court in Manhattan. In 1980, she entered private practice, specializing in civil litigation. In 1985, Justice Mazzarelli was elected to the Civil Court of the City of New York and was designated an Acting Supreme Court Justice in 1988. In November 1992, Justice Mazzarelli was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Justice Mazzarelli was a member of the New York State Commission on Forensic Science and the Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York Courts. She was also a Commissioner of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct until 2022. She was the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Practicing Law Institute, having served as Trustee from 2001 to 2021. Currently, she is Chair Emerita of PLI. She was also a member and Co-Vice Chair of the New York Pattern Jury Instructions Committee for over ten years. Justice Mazzarelli is the first Italian American woman elected to the Civil and Supreme Court in Manhattan and designated to sit on the Appellate Division, First Department.

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.  Her awards include “PR Woman of the Year” by the Washington Women in PR; the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter “Hall of Fame Honoree;” PRNEWS Top Women in PR, Mentor; the Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic Award:  The Alan G. Penczek Service-Learning Faculty Award; and American University’s School of Communication DEI Faculty Award. During her career she has worked in broadcast news including “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw;” the public relations field with firms Powell Tate and Edelman Worldwide; the entertainment industry with the MEW Talent Agency; and the financial sector, where she was a market reporter/media relations specialist for Nasdaq. Her classes have won recognition from the Washington Post, as well as the Washington Mystics.

Rossella Rago is an Italian American cookbook author, host and entrepreneur. She was born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to parents who emigrated from Mola di Bari, a small fishing village in Puglia, and grew up deeply rooted in her Italian and American heritage. Rossella has authored 3 cookbooks. In her most recent book, Cooking with Nonna: Sunday Dinners with La Famiglia, Rossella shares traditional comforting Italian recipes derived from fond memories of living with her nonna and recipes rom her travels. While some dishes in the book have authentic Italian roots, most are proudly Italian American – a distinctly unique cuisine that Rossella believes deserves as much praise and attention. Aside from recipe writing and content creation for the Cooking with Nonna and Bottega della Nonna bramds, Rossella is the co-host of a podcast and a YouTube show that highlights and explores tenets of Italian American culture. Rossella is a member of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), where she sits on the Italian American Youth Committee, and is also a member of the Order of Sons of Italy. She has been a memeber of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists since the age of ten.

Justice Saliann Scarpulla is a graduate of Boston University and Brooklyn Law School, cum laude. After law school, Justice Scarpulla clerked for the Hon. Alvin F. Klein in Supreme Court, New York County and then joined Proskauer Rose Goetz &Mendelsohn as a litigation associate. Justice Scarpulla later moved to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as Senior Counsel in New York. From the FDIC Justice Scarpulla became Senior Vice President and Bank Counsel to Hudson United Bank.

Justice Scarpulla was elected to the New York City Civil Court in 2001, appointed to the New York State Supreme Court in 2009, and elected to the Supreme Court in 2012. From February 2014 to July 2020, Justice Scarpulla sat in the New York County Commercial Division, and she was responsible for all international commercial arbitration matters. In 2020 Justice Scarpulla was appointed to the Appellate Division, First Department.

She is a contributing author to the Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts treatise and has authored several articles on technology and commercial litigation. Justice Scarpulla is a frequent lecturer for, among others, the New York City Bar, the New York County Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Practicing Law Institute, the New York State Judicial Institute, and the New York Women’s Bar Association.

Justice Scarpulla is active in several bar associations, is a member of New York’s Commercial Division Advisory Council, and is the Co-Chair of the Council’s Subcommittee on Use of Technology in Commercial Division Cases. Justice Scarpulla also sits on the Chief Judge’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee, and recently retired from the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board. Justice Scarpulla is a past Co-President and board member of Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert (JALBCA).

Justice Scarpulla has received numerous awards in recognition of her service to the community and legal profession, including: Columbian Lawyers Rapallo Award; New York Women’s Bar Association Recognition Award; New York County Lawyers Association Conspicuous Service Award; New York American Inn of Court Award for Best CLE Program; National Organization of Italian American Women Wise Woman Award; New York County Lawyers Association Justice Louis J. Capozzoli Gavel Award; and New York City Bar Thurgood Marshall Award.