The AMHS Officers for 2008
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The AMHS Officers for 2008 |
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Membership  Romeo R. Sabatini (biography) |
 Omero Sabatini (biography) |
Programs  Rocco Caniglia (biography) |
 Angela Campanella (biography) |
 Joann Novello (biography) |
 Lucio D'Andrea (biography) |
 Ennio Di Tullio (biography) |
Omero Sabatini, President
A retired American diplomat,
Omero Sabatini is one of
the founding members of the
Abruzzo and Molise Heritage
Society, and has previously served
as its Vice President for Programs.
For the past several years, he has
also been active in a number of
other Italian-American
organizations. He is a Trustee of
theVirginia Grand Lodge of the
Order of the Sons of Italy in
America (OSIA), and Past President
of OSIA’s Italian Heritage Lodge of
Fairfax, VA. He was Treasurer of
the Italian Cultural Society of
Washington, DC and a member of
the Parish Council of Holy Rosary
Church, the Italian Parish of the
Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Born in Indiana, Omero lived in
Italy from the age of three until his
early twenties. In the States, he
devoted most of his professional life
to the promotion of US exports. In
1981 the President of the United
States, with the advice and consent
of the Senate, appointed him a
Foreign Service Officer, a Consular
Officer, and a Secretary in the US
Diplomatic Service. Omero’s
diplomatic assignments and official
government travels took him to
most West European countries,
Algeria, Canada, and a number of
Asian nations.
Prior to joining the US diplomatic
corps, he was an international trade
economist, first for the US
Department of Commerce and then
for the US Department of
Agriculture. Before that, he had
been a member of the advertising
department of Reader’s Digest, in
New York City.
In retirement, however, Omero
chose to devote a large part of his
time to advancing Italian-American
personal relationships. In addition to
publishing Promise of Fidelity,
which is a modern translation and
adaptation of Italy’s greatest novel,
I Promessi Sposi, he has written
numerous articles and human-
interest stories in both English and
Italian.
He holds a degree (Laurea) from
the University of Rome “La
Sapienza”, Rome, Italy, and a
Master’s Degree from the
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
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Rocco Caniglia, 2nd Vice
President, Programs
Was born in Orsogna, province
of Chieti, came to Washington in
1956 at 14 years old, went to
Suitland High Scholl, Served in
Viet Nam with the 1st Cav.
Division was awarded the Purple
Heart Medal. For the past 30
years Rocco has owned and operated an
Italian pizza restaurant.
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Angela Campanella,
Treasurer
Angela became a member of the
Society shortly after it was
organized. She is a native of
Milford, MA. Her mother came to
the United States in 1937 from
Calabria. Her father, born in the
U.S. of an Abruzzese mother and a
Barese father, lived in Italy from
infancy and returned to the US in
1937.
Over the years Angela and her
family lived in various places in
New England, ultimately moving to
San Diego, where her family still
resides. Angela has one daughter
and four grandchildren.
Angela is a critical-case nurse by
education, having received a BSN
and MSN from Catholic University.
After years of working in the
United States and in the Panama
Canal Zone hospitals and pursuing
research projects at George
Washington University, she
changed careers and joined a friend
as controller
in a new enterprise which provides
services to financial institutions.
She loves opera and is "fiercely
proud of my Italian heritage".
Angela has developed a special
interest in that she often hosts
students coming from Italy. She has
hosted students from Castel'azzara,
Castelammare di Stabia, and most
recently a student from Sulmona
who was studying English under a
NIAF grant.
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Ennio Di Tullio, Immediate Past-President
Ennio was born in Rosello, province of Chieti in Abruzzo, and came to Washington, DC in 1963
with a Diplomatic Visa and worked in the Embassies of Peru, Brazil and Venezuela.
In 1967 Ennio began work with the World Bank, embarking on a career in the computer field,
first in the operation of large computer mainframes as Assistant Manager of the Joint Computer
Center of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and later as an Information Officer,
administering the Local Area Network of the Computing Department.
Ennio retired from the World Bank after 31 years of service, and dedicates his time to his many
hobbies and enjoys taking trips to Italy, especially to his beloved Rosello.
Ennio is one of the “founding fathers” of the Society and has previously served as Vice President for
Programs, Vice President for Membership, and Chairman of the Gala Committee.
Ennio is married to Emma and has one son, Roberto, and a daughter, Daniela.
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Lucio D'Andrea, President Emeritus
Lucio D'Andrea is native of Roccamandolfi in the region of Molise, Italy. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1948 along with his brother Joseph and mother Candida to join his father, who lived in Pittsburgh, Pa. As was typical for numerous immigrants entering the U.S at that time, Lucio began the process of learning English. Upon completion of his secondary school education, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, graduation in 1957 with a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering and a commission as Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Upon completion of his military service, he moved to Wyoming to work for an oil company. He later returned East and accepted a position with the Federal Power Commission in Washington, D.C. He served in a number of government agencies and in 1986 he accepted an appointment by the Secretary General of the United Nations to serve as Senior Economic Officer with the Economic Commission of Europe in Geneva, Switzerland, becoming deputy director of its Energy Division. He retired from the ECE in 1983 and entered private practice as an energy consultant.
During his long professional and military career as a reserve officer, he received numerous awards and recognitions. One which he is particularly proud of proud is the "Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy", which he received in 1972 for his involvement in promoting Italian culture in the Washington D.C. area. He has maintained a steadfast commitment to the promotion and development of Italian cultural values. One of his causes is to defend that heritage against degradation and negative stereotyping of Italians and Italian-Americans, which regrettably still surface in American society. That commitment was also demonstrated with Lucio having taken the initiative to establish in the Washington, D.C. D.C. area the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society. Lucio remains active in the Italian American community by also being a member of OSIA, "Council of a 1000" of the National Italian American Foundation, and as member of the recently established COMITES (Committee to Represent Italians Abroad) by Government of Italy. Lucio, along with his wife Edvige from Pacentro, in Abruzzo, reside in Fairfax, Va. They have six children and six grandchildren.
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Joann Bagliere Novello,
Secretary
Joann Bagliere was born in Jersey
City, NJ, to a mother from Molise
and a Sicilian-American father. Her
first trip to Italy was as a child in
1959, to visit with her maternal
grandparents and extended family in
Montemitro, Campobasso, Molise.
This trip included a whirlwind tour
of “the boot.” She returned for a
summer study in Rome while in
college, sealing her love for all
things Italian.
Joann graduated
from the College of New Rochelle
with a Bachelor of Arts in English
literature, and received a Master of
Arts in English from the University
of Wisconsin, Madison. While
teaching at Georgian Court College
in Lakewood, NJ, Joann continued
graduate studies at Fordham
University and, after marrying
Joseph Novello and relocating to
Maryland, at the University of
Maryland. She left her studies to
raise her family of four. Joann
returned to work as director of a
pre-school, and is currently teaching
at the school. Her hobbies include
cooking and baking, reading, and
traveling.
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Raymond Bernero, Board
Member
A native of Chicago, Illinois. A
graduate of DePaul University
Academy. Received a Bachelor of
Science and a Master of Arts from
Northwestern University, Evanston,
Illinois, and a Ph.D. from Gallaudet
University, Washington. D.C..
Work career includes 3 1/2 years in
the U.S. Air Force; Associate
Professor of Audiology at Gallaudet
University; Director of Hearing
Conservation, Illinois Department
of Public Health; Chief of
Audiology and Speech Pathology,
Bureau of Maternal and Child
Health, D.C. Department of Public
Health. Retired 1994.
A member of AMHS since 2001.
Served as Treasurer, a member of
the Board of Directors, and a
member of the Scholarship
Committee.
Wife, Virginia (Gini), 4 children
and 8 grandchildren. Resides in
Fairfax, Virginia
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Vincent Ciccone, Board
Member
Vincent Ciccone was born in the
beautiful village of Pacentro,
Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. He
came to the United States in 1951,
living at first in Pittsburgh, PA, and
then moving to Washington in 1960.
He works at Brooks Brothers. One
of Vince’s leisure time pursuits is
his love of opera. He has been a
member of the Society since its
initial organization, and is a firm
believer in the promotion of our
heritage.
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Maria D’Andrea, Board
Member
Maria D’Andrea is proud to be a
first generation Abruzzese-
Molisana, with family roots in
Pacentro and Roccamandolfi. She
has been an active member of the
Society since its inception, first as
editor of the Notiziario, then, as a
Board Member, and more recently,
as Vice President of Programs.
Maria is Supervisor for the Eastern
Hemisphere, in the Office of
Textiles and Apparel at the U.S.
Department of Commerce. She
manages the office’s textile and
apparel trade portfolio for Africa,
Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Commerce, Maria
worked on textile and clothing trade
issues as a member of the
Secretariat of the World Trade
Organization in Geneva,
Switzerland. Maria also volunteers
her time every Tuesday night, to
facilitate a support group for women
in abusive relationships, through the
City of Alexandria Domestic
Violence Program.
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Richard (Dick) DiBuono,
Board Member
Mr. DiBuono is in his 45th year of
practice as a Civil Engineer – 5
years for the State of California, 33
with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and 7 as president of
Richard J. DiBuono, LLC,
consulting engineering firm. Active
in civic affairs all his adult life, he
currently is president of the
Lifetime Learning Institute of
Northern Virginia. Experienced in
genealogical research – he has
traced his paternal Molisani
ancestry back to the late 1600’s and
his maternal Marchegiani ancestry
back to the early 1700’s – Dick also
serves as a volunteer genealogical
librarian at the Annandale Family
History Center. He is the father of
Jeffrey DiBuono of Marlborough,
Massachusetts, and grandfather of
Matthew and Michael.
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Joe Novello, Board Member
Joe Novello was born in Montazzoli, Province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. He is the youngest of
six children of Filippo and Ersilia Mancini Novello. With his parents and his sister
Bernice, Joe emigrated to Scotch Plains, NJ in May 1955 to reunite with his paternal
grandmother, four uncles, and many paesani. By 1966 the rest of Joe’s family was reunited
within the United States. Joe graduated from Rutgers University in 1964 with a BS in
Electrical Engineering, and attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology for one
year and received a MS in Electrical Engineering. In June 1965, Joe began his career
with NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD, to work in their
Manned Space Flight Division. In 1967, he joined a group of electronic engineers
developing a central computer for satellites. This computer became the NASA Standard
Central Computer (NSCC- 1), the baseline on many NASA satellites. Joe worked as a
lead electronic engineer in the development of several instruments flown by NASA in
the Shuttle missions, the Space telescope missions, and sounding rockets missions.
Joe retired from NASA in Jannuary of 2006 after 40&1/2 years of service.
He is enjoying sharing more time with his siblings in NJ, and other local activities
such as former treasurer for AMHS for the last 4 years and member of the Briscola Club
of Washington, D.C. for more than 7 years. Joe’s hobbies include gardening, photography,
music, real estate and financial investments, playing briscola, and travel.
Joe is happily married to Joann Bagliere Novello (½ Molisana, ½ Siciliana) also from N.J.
He and his wife have four children and look forward to future grandchildren.
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(Luigi) Deno Reed, Board
Member
Deno is the tenth of eleven children
born into an Italian family in
Northwestern Pennsylvania. His
parents emigrated from Amantea,
Cosenza, in Calabria in
early 1900 and considered their
Cultura Italiana Calabrese to be
important throughout their
lifetimes. Deno continues to share
this philosophy. He is a graduate of
the Pennsylvania State University
and has a doctorate in medical
sciences from The Johns Hopkins
University. His professional and
personal life as a research scientist
afforded him the opportunity to visit
some 60 countries on several
continents. He and his wife,
Monica Palenski, have travelled to
Italia numerous times. Deno has
served on committees and boards of
several professional associations.
He has also been on the Board of
Education and on the Committee for
Persons with Disabilities in the
Catholic Archdiocese of
Washington. Deno continues to be
active in parish ministries at Holy
Trinity Georgetown and was Parish
Council President at Saint
Dominic's in Washington DC. He is
a member of the Briscola Club at
Holy Rosary. Deno and Monica's
daughter, Andrea, and her husband,
Conal, have been members of the
Istituto di Cultura Italiana around the
world.
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Gene Swann, Chairman of the Board
Gene Swann was born in New York and raised in a large extended Italian family. He graduated
from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY with a degree in Economics. Gene has worked for the
Internal Revenue Service for 34 years, spending most of his career as a manager in Information
Systems.
Gene’s maternal grandparents emigrated from Basilicata in the early 1900s. Although Gene does
not have any ties to the Abruzzo or Molise regions, he has, over the years, made four trips to
Italy as a tourist. He is interested in studying the Italian language, and he thoroughly
enjoys reading about Italian history and culture.
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Cristian de Ritis, Board of Directors
Both my father and my wife were born in Fara Filiorum Petri,
"Paese delle Farchie" nella Provincia di Chieti in Abruzzo
(http://www.comunefarafiliorumpetri.it)
By genetics and by choice then I have a strong connection to Abruzzo, its people,
its culture and, of course, its food. (Quanto mi mancano le cottiche e fajjol di mia suocera!)
I am honored to have the opportunity to serve our society and share the history and beauty of
both the Abruzzo and Molise regions with the greater Washington community.
Professionally, I hold a PhD in Economics from the Johns Hopkins University. I am employed
as a Director at Fannie Mae and as a periodic adjunct professor of economics at the Johns
Hopkins School of Advanced Academic Studies. I hold the precious gift of education that
my parents gave me very dear to my heart and so I am eager to work with our scholarship
and fundraising committees to increase both the number and size of the scholarships we
make. (Dobbiamo aiutare il futuro Ovidio o D'Annunzio!) I thank all members of the society
for this opportunity and look forward to working with all of you to make our society flourish.
Italian by marriage with a love of Italy and Italian culture. Member of Holy Rosary Church for six years.
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