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.

Diana Femia was recently elected Chair of the National Organization of Italian American Women. She has been serving as President of the Greater Washington DC Region of NOIAW for several years and has been a member of the organization since the early 80’s. In her work with Italian American organizations, she has been Chair and President of the Italian Welfare League in New York, an organization that has helped many children through the years. She is also a member of the National Italian American Foundation and has been president of several not-for-profits in New Jersey committed to women’s and children’s well-being. Also, she has worked with Friendship Place, a Washington DC not-for-profit that works on projects finding jobs and housing for people who have become homeless. Before moving to Washington DC, Diana was with the New York Mercantile Exchange for23 years, working with journalists, marketing and ultimately as Senior Director, handing major special events and conferences.

Anne Marie D’Attelo, Esq. is Senior Counsel at AIPSO, a national advisory organization and service provider for various insurance industry groups located in Johnston, RI. In this role, Anne Marie manages litigation for AIPSO’s Insurance Operations commercial line of business. Prior to joining AIPSO, Anne Marie worked as a Senior Trial Attorney and Managing Attorney for a large commercial insurance carrier. She joined NOIAW in 2009 and served as the first RI Region President until 2019.

Patricia “Pat” Tinto was recently elected to a second term as National President of NOIAW. Previously Pat served as regional director for NOIAW in the State of Connecticut. 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 the Italian Club of Tampa, of NIAF, and the Women’s Initiative of the Italian American Democratic Council.

Dr. Donna Corrado has dedicated her career to expanding and improving social services for NYC’s most vulnerable residents. She is Commissioner of the NYC Department for the Aging, the lead Mayoral agency addressing public policy and service issues for NYC’s 1.7 million older residents. Previously, she was Executive Director of Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services – Brooklyn and Queens. Dr. Corrado holds PhD and MA degrees in Social Welfare from the Graduate Center of CUNY, an MSW from Stony Brook University and a BA from St. Joseph’s College. She completed the Executive Program of Columbia Business School Institute for Non Profit Management and was named a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine in 2005.

Robin Tagliaferri is the President of NOIAW’s Rhode Island Region and the Secretary of the National Board of Directors. She is a visual artist, non-profit development director and researcher of Italian immigration to Providence, Rhode Island. Robin has 30 years experience working in museums, arts organizations and educational institutions, where she designed fundraising campaigns, implemented public programs and wrote K-12 arts education curriculum. Robin is a member of the Order of Franciscans Secular (OFS), an international network of lay women and men who follow the philosophy of St. Francis of Assisi.

Judge Adams is an Acting Supreme Court Justice in New York County. Prior to her election to the bench in November 2017, Judge Adams had nearly twenty years’ experience as a litigator in New York State and Federal courts. Judge Adams is a member of the New York County Lawyers Association (formerly co-chair of the Civil Court Section), the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association in the Torts Insurance and Compensation Law Section, Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert, the Columbian Lawyers First Judicial Department, National Association of Italian American Women and the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch. She is a graduate of Penn State University with a B.A. in Journalism, and received her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law.

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.

Dr. Donna M. Chirico is Professor of Psychology, and former 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 is Resident Faculty at the Italian D. Calandra Italian American Institute and is Chair of its Italian American Faculty Staff Advisory Council as well as president emeritus of the American arm of the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance (ILICA.) She received her masters in Counseling Psychology from Fordham University and a doctorate in Religion and Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.

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, and earned her MPH. Ms. Mattone, who has been instrumental in forming the St. John’s University Rome Campus, also got a PhD from St. Thomas Aquinas College. She 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.

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 Suprem Court of the State of New York. Justice Mazzarelli is 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.

Vittoria (Vicky) Pace is Head of Premium Audit at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.  She has an extensive background in Claims, Supplier Management (on and offshore), 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 claims and operations organizations.

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.

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 has been a member of the National Board since 2009 and served as Vice Chair prior to becoming Chair from 2012 to 2014.

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.

Immediate Past Chair of NOIAW, she was a managing partner 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. Maria Tamburri has served for several not-for-profit board and was NOIAW’s Executive Director from 2008 to 2011 and President from 2012 to 2014.

Adriana Trigiani is The New York Times bestselling author of 20 books, award-winning playwright, television writer/producer ad filmmaker and host of the hit podcast, You Are What You Read. She co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. In 2023, she was knighted with the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia by President Sergio Mattarella of Italy. She is proud to serve on the New York State Council on the Arts.

Maria T. Vullo, Esq. is the CEO of Vullo Advisory Services, PLLC, a regulatory consulting firm, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham Law School. She served as the Superintendent of Financial Services for the State of New York, leading the agency responsible for regulating New York banks and insurance companies, and also served as Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice in the New York Attorney General’s Office. In her private practice, she was a partner for many years with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, specializing in commercial litigations and regulatory matters. Prior to joining the NOIAW Board, she was honored by NOIAW as one of “Three Wise Women” in 2010. She has received numerous awards over her career for her professional achievements and public service contributions.