Voting Deadline — November 30, 2026
The AMHS is pleased to introduce the candidates for the four officer positions of the Society and two seats on the six-members Board of Directors.
The four officers (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer) will serve two-year terms beginning January 1, 2027. The members of the Board will serve three-year terms.
Please note that the election is conducted under Article VI, Section 3 of the Society’s bylaws which state: “Elections of officers and directors shall take place in the month of November. Members must submit their votes electronically to the Nominating Committee within thirty (30) days after receiving the notice of elections. Members may vote for other members not proposed by the Nominating Committee, contingent upon the consent of the other members. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for counting the votes. The candidate for each office receiving the most votes shall be declared elected to that office for the ensuing term. The elected candidates shall assume office on the following January 1st and be installed at the first general membership meeting of each year.”
Voting will be by email only. Please see the instructions below on how to cast your ballot.
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MEET THE CANDIDATES
Christopher Renneker
Nominee for President
Christopher John Renneker is seeking re-election as President of the AMHS. He has been a member of the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society since 2017 and has served one term as the Society’s President and previously serve on the Board of Directors. board and is currently serving on the social committee. He has been a member of the National Italian-American Foundation since 2016, the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America since 2021, and Filitalia International since 2023. He has family members from the region of Abruzzo and the city of Foggia in the region of Puglia.
Chris graduated in 2017 from the George Washington University Law School. He also earned an MBA from the Sungkyunkwan University Global School of Business in 2017, and a B.S. from Florida State University in 2011 with majors in Political Science and History, focused on European Union integration and Renaissance Italy, respectively, and minors in Classical Civilization, focused on Etruscan studies, and Philosophy.
Between undergrad and law school, Chris taught overseas, including one year of English in Shanghai, China, and taught one year of English, Social Studies, and Math in Mexico City, Mexico. Chris studied abroad for a semester in Italy while at Florida State. He has since visited Italy twice, including a six-week road trip in 2019.
Chris was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia in 2017 and currently works at the United States Patent and Trademark Office as a Trademark Examining Attorney. He previously worked as an Attorney Advisor in the Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Assistance is currently a PhD student in English at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in New Jersey, her father and grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Trieste in 1958. They lived in Manhattan's Little Italy before moving to Hoboken, N.J. Sophia is a teacher, poet, and artist. She can be found with her nose in a book or making coffee at your local cafe!
Americo Allegrino
Nominee for Vice President
Americo “Rico” Allegrino is seeking re-eleaction as Vice President. He grew up in upstate New York. His father emigrated from Chieti in Abruzzo and his maternal great grandparents came from Sicily and Naples. He earned a Master’s degree in Meteorology from the University of Maryland. He currently works as a government contractor for NOAA’s satellite division where he provides programming support to the next generation of weather satellites. Rico has worked for NOAA for 21 years. Previously, he worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center studying sea ice and snow cover using various remote sensors.
Rico has volunteered as a special events coordinator for an organization of single Catholics called the Catholic Alumni Club. There, he organized picnics, happy hours, and dinners. He was also the membership chairman for several years for this club. Currently, he leads a group of volunteers from his local parish to provide a monthly dinner for homeless men in Prince Georges County. He also volunteers his gardening services to his local parish. He is an avid gardener. Prior to his election as Vice President, Rico served two terms his second term on the AMHS Board of Directors.
Joseph Scafetta, Jr.
Nominee for Secretary
Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta, Jr., is seeking re-elation as Secretary. He is the son of Giuseppe Scafetta (1896-1975) who emigrated from the city of Vasto in Abruzzo to Washington, D.C., in early April 1915. Sonny earned a B.S. from Penn State University in aerospace engineering in 1969, a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972, a masters in patent law from Georgetown U. in 1973, and an M.B.A. in the administration of science and technology from George Washington U. in 1983. Before entering the private practice of law in 1975, he served as a law clerk for two years for a federal trial judge in Columbia, South Carolina. He was admitted to practice before the state courts in Pennsylvania in 1972, the District of Columbia in 1978, and Virginia in 1979. He was also admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office in 1973, the U.S. District Court in D.C. in 1978, and the Eastern District of Virginia in 1982, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 1982, and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1980. He has worked for several law firms in the District and northern Virginia. Over the years, he has published ten articles in various legal journals and won the prestigious Robert C Watson Award from the American Intellectual Property Law Association in 1976. He is now semi-retired, but works part time as Senior Counsel for Ditthavong, Steiner, & Mlotkowski in Alexandria.
He has been a member of the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society since 2008 and served on the board of directors from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2022. He is also on the board of directors of the National Columbus Celebration Association. Sonny is also a member and officer of the Italian Heritage Lodge which is a branch of the Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America which he joined in 1979. He served as the state president of the Grand Lodge of Virginia from June 1993 to June 1995 and on the state council of the Grand Lodge for a record 24 continuous years from 1983 to 2007.
Currently, Sonny resides in Falls Church with his wife of 37 years, Teresa Talierco, who is currently on the AMHS board of directors. They have a son, Joseph Scafetta III, who is currently a grad student studying data science at Marymount University in Arlington.
Frank Bonsiero
Nominee for Treasurer
Frank Bonsiero is running for Treasurer. He has been an AMHS member, along with his wife, Susan, for 14 years. He was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and lived at an Italian orphanage run by the Pallottine nuns in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. He served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam era. Frank is a graduate of Regis College in Denver, Colorado. Frank spent most of his federal career with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Defense. He has worked as a government audit consultant after federal retirement.
Frank has been married for 54 years to his lovely bride, Susan – they have two children and six grandchildren, who range in age from 27 years to 6 years. Frank is proud of them all, including the oldest who played baseball for the University of Arizona, a granddaughter at Clemson, another granddaughter at Ole Miss, and three in the Loudoun County Public school system.
Frank currently resides in Clifton, Va. and attends St Andrew the Apostle Church. He volunteers in Washington, DC every Monday morning, feeding the homeless in the basement of St. Matthew’s Cathedral. He also loves coming to AMHS meetings and the fellowship that exists. He enjoys celebrating all things Italian. He hopes to serve honorably and proudly, but admits he is following the hardest act at AMHS, that being Peter Bell!
Alisa Minnies
Nominee for Board of Directors
Alisa Minnies is from Washington, D.C. She is currently an English teacher. Alisa lived in Andria in the region of Puglia for ten years where she taught English. She says the experience instilled in her a passion not only for Italian culture but also to seek ways to build cultural bridges between Italy and the United States. this has motivated her to run for the AMHS Board.
Derek Ginoris
Nominee for Board of Directors
Derek Alexander Ginoris holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Italian Studies and International Studies from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts degree in Italian Studies from Georgetown University, and a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School. Previously, he has served on the advisory boards of several student led cultural organizations and has collaborated with multiple Italian heritage organizations like the National Italian American Foundation, the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center, and the Italian American Museum of Washington, D.C. He also has experience in nonprofit work, as he was formerly the social media coordinator for the Italian Cultural Society of Washington, D.C. Currently, he works at Freshfields LLP where he is a transactional business and finance attorney. Looking forward, Derek is excited to further his passion for empowering young Italians and Italian Americans to connect with their heritage both within and outside the legal field.
HOW TO VOTE
Members in good standing are eligible to vote. A ballot sent by those holding couple’s membership shall be counted as two votes.
To cast your ballot:
1) All voting will be done by email. Email ballots will be addressed to AMHS Secretary Joseph Scafetta, Jr.
2) The link below will generate an email ballot. It will be populated with the names of the candidates and, according to the AMHS bylaws, will have space to write in other candidates if the voter so chooses.
3) Type an “x” next to the name of each candidate for whom you wish to vote.
4) You may write in the name of other members not proposed by the committee, but only with the consent of those members, as per our bylaws.
5) Sign the email by typing in your name, or both names if you have a couple’s membership.
6) Click “Send.”
CLICK HERE TO GENERATE YOUR BALLOT
BALLOTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 30, 2026
Fall 2026