Tag Archives: JCCIA Women’s Division

The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans held its 2026  Festa della Donna on March 10 at the Des Plaines Theatre. Carmela Capriati and Sharon DePrizio chaired the event, which was hosted by Onesti Entertainment. This year’s theme was “Italian American Women Business Owners,” with 17 standout entrepreneurs sharing the spotlight. Around 150 guests turned out to hear stories about how they all got started. The honorees represented a diverse range of businesses, including consulting, retail, fashion design, bridal couture, Italian product development and distribution, real estate, financial and insurance, floral design, marketing and branding, food industry, …

Rose Mary Ranallo, president of the Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans since 2008, has a deep connection to the organization and has no plans to walk away anytime soon. Her mother, Gina Acino Sclafani, has been a Women’s Division member since 1980, including a stint as president. Ranallo says her mother always encouraged her to get involved and she finally relented in the early 2000s. “I finally came to a meeting and got hooked in with the lovely ladies,” Ranallo says. “I love the camaraderie with them and what the cause is, especially the scholarship …

The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans honored nine accomplished women at the 2025 Impresa Awards. Scholarships were also presented to several deserving female high school seniors at the event. “We’re always so proud to host the Impresa Awards,” JCCIA Women’s Division President Rosemary Ranallo says. “It’s our opportunity to shine the spotlight on Italian-American women of accomplishment and to encourage young Italian-American women to follow in their footsteps.” This year’s honorees are: Lisa Capitanini, award-winning investigative producer for NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) Chicago Tracey Tarantino DiBuono, founder and director of Zzazz Productions Linnea McHugh, chief policy …

The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans honored eight accomplished women at the 2021 Impresa Awards. Scholarships were presented to several deserving female high school seniors at the event. “We’re always so proud to host the Impresa Awards,” JCCIA Women’s Division President Rosemary Ranallo says. “It’s our opportunity to shine the spotlight on Italian-American women of accomplishment and to encourage young Italian-American women to follow in their footsteps.” This year’s honorees were: Catherine M. Adduci, president, village of River Forest Gia Biagi, commissioner, Department of Transportation, city of Chicago Nicole A. Cipriani, M.D., medical directory, Department …