Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has elected Enza Raineri as president. Raineri and her fellow officers were installed by the Hon. Gloria Coco at the JCCIA’s Christmas party in December. Joining Raineri as JCCIA officers are First Vice President Jon Zivojnovic; Second Vice President Mariann Gullo, Third Vice President Ron Onesti, Treasurer Christine Caliendo Cerami, Secretary Arlene Elia and Sergeant-at-Arms John Galluzzi.
Vincenza “Enza” M. Raineri, President
Enza Raineri serves as the associate clerk of the Criminal/Juvenile Bureau for the Hon. Dorothy Brown, clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Enza has oversight of the Criminal Division, Criminal Department, Central Bond Court, Domestic Violence Court and the Juvenile Court Center, which includes Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Divisions in the city of Chicago.
Enza was born and raised in Chicago, and is the eldest of three daughters born to immigrant parents from Sicily. The family moved from Old Town in Chicago to Albany Park to eventually settle on the Far Northwest Side of Chicago in the mid-1970s.
Enza studied at Triton College and eventually graduated from Roosevelt University School of Journalism with a B.A. in public relations. She worked at several Public Relations Agencies in Chicago, including completing internships at Hill & Knowlton, Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon and Eckhardt and Hyatt Hotels International. Enza also worked as an account executive at Golin/Harris Public Relations before moving into county government.
Throughout her work career, Enza has always made it a commitment to participate in a variety of Italian community events and has served in some capacity as an officer or volunteer.
Enza previously served as second and third vice president of the JCCIA and is a board member of the Italian American Political Coalition and an active participant in the Justinian Society of Lawyers as a Liaison for the Clerk of the Court. For over 10 years, Enza has spearheaded the annual Italian-American Heritage Month Celebration of the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office that has honored many prominent members of the Italian-American community.
Enza has also been honored by several Italian-American organizations, including the Order of Sons of Italy in America and the JCCIA Women’s Division with the Impresa Award. Enza is also past chair of the Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Humanitarian Award Dinner.
Enza has served on a variety of task forces and committees within county government, and has been very active in local politics and community service for over 30 years. She has worked on a variety of campaigns on a national and local level including two presidential campaigns and six county government races. She also fundraises for the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii in Little Italy.
Enza and her two children reside in Niles. Robert, 19, is a sophomore at Illinois State University and Arianna, 17, is a senior at Maine Township South High School in Park Ridge.
Jonathan Zivojnovic, First Vice President
Elmwood Park real estate broker Jonathan Zivojnovic is the immediate past president of the Columbian Club of Chicago. A member since 2008, Jon worked his way up the ladder of succession as an officer and served as program director and chairperson of the club’s golf outing, Christmas party and bocce tournament. The managing broker and owner of River Elm Properties, Jon is a Elmwood Park Trustee and president of the Grand Corridor Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Elmwood Park with his wife, Gina, and sons, Dominic and Carmine.
Mariann Gullo, Second Vice President
Mariann Gullo serves on the board of director of the Elk Grove Village Italian Sister Cities Inc., which fosters relations between Elk Grove Village and Termini Imerese, Sicily. She is the COO of Gullo International Development Corporation, a commercial and industrial real estate development and management firm specialized in the Chicago O’Hare industrial market, founded and lead by her father Giovanni Gullo since 1968 with headquarters in Elk Grove Village. Born and raised in Elk Grove Village, she attended St. Viator High School; DePaul University, with a major in marketing and communications and a minor in Italian; and the Loyola University MBA Program in Chicago.
Ron Onesti, Third Vice President
Ron Onesti is the president of Onesti Entertainment Corp., which produces concerts, special events and festivals nationwide, and the owner of the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, the No. 1 live music venue in the Midwest. He has produced several projects for television, appeared on numerous radio shows, and write regularly for the Daily Herald and Fra Noi. He donates his time and talents to countless Italian organizations and has been honored by Casa Italia, the Italian American Executives of Transportation, the IANU Foundation, the Order Sons of Italy in America, the Italian American Police Association and many more. He was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor and was recently honored as a Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia by the Italian government.
Christina Caliendo Cerami, Treasurer
The daughter of Joseph De Serto, a founder of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Christina Caliendo Cerami has been actively involved in the Italian-American community for the past 40 years. She previous served as a vice president and board member of the JCCIA and currently serves as president of the Society of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Inc., an organization promoting devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and doing charitable works in the community. A Chicago-area realtor for the past 37 years, Chris is president and broker manager of Caliendo Realty Services in Melrose Park.
John Galluzzi, Sergeant-at-Arms
John Galluzzi spent many active years in the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, including his time as the president of the Young Professionals Division. He was honored to be given several opportunities to portray Christopher Columbus in the JCCIA Columbus Day Parade. Currently, Galluzzi is an active member in the St. Rocco di Potenza Society and a new member of the Italian American Executives of Transportation. He volunteers his time at Our Lady of Pompeii Shrine and is an active fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus. John is currently working in sales and enjoys spending time with his wife, Julie, and three children.
Jo Ann Serpico, Executive Director
Jo Ann is also a past president of the JCCIA, Calabresi in America Organization and Maroons Ladies Club, secretary of the Italo American Soccer and Social Club “Maroons” and Joseph Gentile Post #2 of the Italian American War Veterans, and a member of the Italian American Women’s Organization. She has been honored by the Italo American Soccer and Social Club “Maroons,” Italian American Executives of Transportation, Cook County Board President John Stroger, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Illinois Department of Public Health, Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, JCCIA Women’s Division, Order Sons of Italy in America State Grand Lodge, Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Italian American Police Association, Comune di Campofelice di Roccella, Provincia di Palermo, Italian American Political Coalition, and Comboni Mission Center.
