Q&A

A veteran actor of stage and screen, Susan Vinciotti Bonito has made a name for herself in the burgeoning world of audiobooks. Growing up in Italy, Susan Vinciotti Bonito dreamed of becoming an actor but decided to study economics to please her father. Then, in the late 1980s, she decided to pursue her passion. Vinciotti Bonito now lives with her husband and son in Santa Monica, California, where she works out of her broadcast-quality studio voicing characters for audiobooks, video games and commercials. Her narration of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel “Whereabouts” earned her an AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award in 2021. She …

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 …

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 …

by Elena Ferrarin and Doug Graham As a driving force behind Friends of the Uffizi Galleries, Lisa Marie Conte Browne has helped raise millions of dollars toward the restoration of the renowned art museum’s expansive collections. Visitors flock by the millions each year to the Uffizi Galleries in Florence to marvel at its vast and dazzling array of art. Opened in 1769, it is one of the largest and best-known art museums in the world, boasting one of the most expansive collection of works from the Italian Renaissance. The mission of Lisa Marie Conte Browne, president of Friends of the …

As a driving force behind the American Friends of Capodimonte, Cristina Del Sesto has helped increase stateside awareness and support for “Europe’s least-known great museum.” Creating wider public access to the Capodimonte Museum has been the opportunity of a lifetime, says Cristina Del Sesto. Located in Naples and boasting more than 47,000 works of art spanning the Middle Ages to the 21st century, the museum was described as “Europe’s least-known great museum” in a Financial Times article in 2023. Del Sesto serves on the board of American Friends of Capodimonte (including just over one term as president until earlier this …

Having lived through the Nazi occupation of Italy during World War II as a child, Edward Pasquesi helped keep the North Koreans on the far side of the 38th Parallel after the Korean War. The middle of three children, Edward Pasquesi was born in Bomporto, Italy, to Angelo and Antonietta Santi Pasquesi. His parents had been working on a farm in the Modena valley and returned to Cadagnolo, their family village in the Apennine Mountains, when Pasquesi was 4 or 5 years old. “We were poor, but we really didn’t know it,” he says. Pasquesi lived among relatives from both …

Recently tapped to chair the National Italian American Foundation, John Calvelli is fueled by a dedication to Italian culture that dates to his early childhood. If there is someone who embodies wholehearted devotion to the cause of preserving and promoting Italian heritage, it’s John F. Calvelli. Calvelli was elected chairman of the National Italian American Foundation in April after serving for more than 25 years on its board of directors, most recently as executive vice chairman. He also was a founder in 1984 and first president of FIERI, a national organization of students and young professionals dedicated to promoting Italian …

From a barrio of Buenos Aires to the top of the web development world, Norb Svanascini has been propelled by a simple but potent belief.  If ever there was proof of the power of positive thinking — and hard work — it’s Norb Svanascini. Born in a barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised since the age of 11 in Bloomington, Indiana, he went on to launch one of the nation’s marquee website-development companies. A philosophy major at Indiana University, Svanascini left during his junior year because he felt he could learn more in the real world than in a classroom. …

As president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, André DiMino is willing at a moment’s notice to don his cape and battle anti-Italian bias and stereotypes wherever they may arise. By day, André DiMino is a mild-mannered engineer who designs, develops and manufactures electronic medical devices and related equipment. But should the need arise, a quick dash into and out of the metaphorical phone booth and he emerges as the president of the Italian American One Voice Coalition, tireless opponent of demeaning stereotypes and relentless defender of our community’s good name. DiMino is president of ADM Tronics, a company …

Boasting a successful corporate career in accounting and finance, S. Joseph Bruno continues to devote himself to a variety of charitable causes. After emigrating from Italy at age 8, S. Joseph Bruno has had a highly successful career as a certified public accountant, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a partner in two “Big 4” accounting firms and the CFO of a public company. He is the President and CEO Emeritus of Building Hope, a nonprofit that supports charter schools. In December, he joined the board of directors of the Italian American Museum of Washington, and in January, he was appointed …