Profiles

Linnea McHugh knows that spearheading change in government is a slow process, but she’s up for the task. McHugh is the chief policy officer for the Cook County Board of Review’s District 2, playing a key role in shaping policies that improve transparency, efficiency and equity in property tax assessment appeals and ensure fair property valuations across Cook County. “I was brought on to help address the  consistent communication issues which exist between the factions of government that oversee the property tax system to become more manageable  and successful through interoffice relations, to make sure that the Cook County District …

When Italian teacher Alessia Defraia earned a scholarship for an internship at the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago, she thought she’d spend about three months in the city. Eighteen years later, she is still there, having amassed an impressive breadth and depth of experience in her field. “I jokingly say I’m like the ‘Nutella of Chicago’ because I’m everywhere in the Italian teaching scene,” she says. Defraia is a part-time instructor at the University of Loyola Chicago, where she has taught elementary, intermediate and advanced Italian, teaching methodologies and Italian linguistics. She teaches Italian at the nonprofit ItalCultura, the Italian …

Becoming the president of the Columbian Club of Chicago is another opportunity for Gerard Iannuzzelli to be a leader. Since he moved to Palatine in 1994, Iannuzzelli has been involved in many local groups, including the Palatine Men’s Civic Club, the Palatine Jaycees, the Sons of the American Legion and others, often taking on leadership positions. “I love the leadership role, I love guiding organizations,” Iannuzzelli says. “Maybe it’s related to my desire to keep traditions alive.” In addition to serving local organizations, in 2011 Iannuzzelli was elected to a four-year-term as a member on the Community Consolidated District 15 …

A photo of Jack Lamberti enhances the Lake Forest High School Wall of Excellence, honoring student athletes who exemplify outstanding performance, leadership, spirit, and sportsmanship. He captained the varsity golf and baseball team his senior year. He was a varsity player in both sports all four years of high school, during which he exemplified the grit and commitment that were an integral part of his Italian roots. Jack is the great grandson of Franco Lamberti, who emigrated with his family from Italy in 1955. To Franco, the United States meant opportunity, jobs and a better future for his wife, children …

As an analyst for the Air National Guard, Paul Lauricella was tasked with tracking the spread of COVID in Illinois and helped to identify locations for testing centers and then vaccination sites. The older of two children, Paul Lauricella was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, to Paul and Christine Ackerman Lauricella. His paternal great-grandparents emigrated separately from Agrigento, Sicily, with their families, met in Chicago and married. Lauricella grew up in Bloomingdale enjoying family gatherings and a combination of Italian, German and American cultures and foods. His paternal grandparents lived in Chicago Ridge. “For me, growing up in the suburbs and …

When Sofia Cantore joined America’s National Women’s Soccer League, little did she know she was stepping over a threshold that had never been crossed before. Before the age of 26, Italian soccer star Sofia Cantore compiled an impressive resume in her native land. At just 17, she signed with Juventus, considered the top club in Italy’s top women’s soccer league, and appeared in over 120 league matches, tallying more than 40 goals and 20 assists in the process. At the international level, Cantore is a Team Italy mainstay. She scored five goals for Le Azzurre in fewer than 50 games …

After 45 years in national distribution and sales, Tom Damigella is putting the finishing touches on a decade-long quest to spotlight the Italian legacy in his native Boston and beyond. A Boston-area native, Tom Damigella has enjoyed a diverse and impactful career spanning multiple decades. With a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s degree in social work, both from Boston University, Damigella worked with troubled youth before joining Damigella Distributors, the family’s franchised Tupperware business. He spent 45 years there, developing the business into a Top 10 Tupperware distributorship in North America and overseeing a sales force of 600 …

Built at Camp Atterbury during its three-year stint as an internment camp for Italian POWs during World War II, the chapel stands today as a testament to the perseverance and faith of its creators. Nestled among the 40,351 acres that encompass Camp Atterbury in Indiana is a tiny chapel built in a meadow. This is no ordinary chapel, not because of anything strange or unusual, but because of who built it and how it was built. Camp Atterbury is a military complex used by the National Guard, 30 miles south of Indianapolis off U.S. Route 31 near Edinburgh. From 1943 …

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Christina Toniolo helped lead Team Italy to victory in the European championships. When Fra Noi last checked in with softball pitcher Christina Toniolo for the June 2024 issue, the Crystal Lake, Illinois, native reported that she’d been recruited to the Italian National Team and helped the squad earn third place at the Canada Cup International Softball Championship. In 2025, Toniolo suited back up for “Le Azzurre” and helped the team accomplish even more. Team Italy won the 2025 Women’s Softball European Championship Gold Medal, claiming the top prize in the 21-team tournament. Toniolo …

Born and raised in the Big Easy, Charles Marsala has helped transform the way the public views the city’s vibrant Sicilian past. From the time he spearheaded the recognition of Italian History Week when he was high school student council president, Charles Marsala has been steadfastly devoted to honoring the contributions of Italian immigrants in his native New Orleans and across Louisiana. Marsala has served as president of the American-Italian Federation for the Southeast since 2019, and established the Marsala Cultural Fund to support projects to memorialize local Italian American history in film, TV and historic markers. A businessman and …