For any information: +1 940-584-1501 info@thesicilianproject.com
FOR ANY INFORMATION:
Alfred Zappala - Sicilian Address
Via Ulisse No. 18 Aci Catena Sicily, Italy 90522
Giovanni Lanza - American Address
1225 Armadillo Trail Argyle, TX 76226 USA
Telephone + 1 940-584-1501
Alfred Zappala - Sicilian Address
Via Ulisse No. 18 Aci Catena Sicily, Italy 90522
Giovanni Lanza - American Address
1225 Armadillo Trail Argyle, TX 76226 USA
Telephone + 1 940-584-1501
We are a 501-C3 tax exempt organization that raises money from people throughout the United States and all over the world then we issue academic grants in Sicily in order to teach students how to speak, think, and write in the English language.
We are a 501-C3 tax exempt organization that raises money from people throughout the United States and all over the world then we issue academic grants in Sicily in order to teach students how to speak, think, and write in the English language.
Meet the Team
All Right Reserved 2023 - Website made by Flazio Experience
All Right Reserved 2023 - Website made by Flazio Experience
Alfred M. Zappala
Chairman of the Board and Founder
Attorney Alfred M. Zappala is the Chairman and Founder of The Sicilian Project. Mr. Zappala has seen first-hand the devastation that the current economic crisis has afflicted on Sicily, and has gathered around him many people from America who love Sicily and want to help stem the flow of students and young college grads leaving the Island.
Giovanni Lanza
President & Treasurer
Giovanni Lanza is a telecommunications executive with over 30 years of industry experience.
At the age of six Giovanni and his parents migrated from Monreale, a small town South of Palermo, Sicily to Brooklyn New York. Giovanni quickly grasped the English language and would often interpret letters and documents for his non-English speaking parents and relatives
Joseph D. Monticciolo
1st Vice President
Joseph D. Monticciolo, FAIA, is President of The Monticciolo Company, a housing consulting firm providing consulting services for architecture, construction, housing development, budgeting, cost estimating, and feasibility analysis expertise.
Gaetano Cipolla
Director
Gaetano Cipolla is a well known authority on Sicily. He is a Professor Emeritus at St. John’s University and President and Editor of Arba Sicula an international organization that promotes Sicilian culture. He has translated “L’origini di lu munnu” Don Chisciotte and “Sanciu Panza and Moral Fables” by Giovanni Meli, the Poetry of Nino Martoglio “Malidittu la lingua-Damned Language” by V. Ancona A. “Provenzano’s Tornu-The Return” A. Veneziano’s Ninety Love Octaves.
Celia Milano
Trustee
Celia Milano was born in New York City and raised in Westchester County New York. She has several degrees, including a Masters of Science in Management from the College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ.
Before retiring to Florida, Celia worked as a computer software engineer for over 30 years in the military, and petroleum industries.
Eszter N. Vajda
Public Relations & Social Media Director
Eszter Vajda is an Emmy-nominated international journalist, host, and producer with a passion for inspiring dialogues and a talent for "igniting fires" that spur interest, extract information, inspire. Enpower people worldwide. Eszter was born in Hungary and holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and E.U. Her passions are politics, travel and storytelling.
Peter Malaguti
esq. - Corporate Counsel
Peter M. Malaguti serves as the Sicilian Project’s legal counsel. He has been a full-time professor at the Massachusetts School of Law (MSL) in Andover, Massachusetts since 1989. He has taught Property, Constitutional Law, Land Use Law, Local Government Law, Landlord-Tenant Law, and Conveyancing.
Sue Giallombardo Walker
Secretary and Marketing Director
An economic development professional for more than 30 years, Sue Walker brings a unique range of experiences to a variety of marketing initiatives. Her economic development activities in both large and smaller communities have generated great success throughout her career.
Vivian Cucchiara
Director
Vivian Cucchiara lives in a suburb north of Boston. Born in Somerville, she is the daughter of two Sicilian Immigrants.
They are both from a beautiful place called San Vito Lo Capo, a fantastically picturesque place in the northern part of Sicily.
Bea T. Green
Director
Bea Green is a retired Healthcare Administrator who started off in the Medical Records field and was certified as an Accredited Records Technician. After several years as Director of Quality Assurance/Utilization Management, Bea was promoted to Hospital Administration as Vice President of Administrative and Clinical Services, where she spent the next twenty years.
Stefania Cammarano
Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Directors
Stefania Rita Cammarano is the first native Sicilian of the Sicilian Project, she serves as the Personal Assistant to the President of the Board of Directors. Born and raised in Sicily, she has studied languages, in 2003 she graduated in Political Science at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Catania with full marks, in 2005 she obtained a II Level Master Degree in E-Business Process Management at the Faculty of Economics and Commerce of Catania. She got TEFL Certificate for teaching English as a foreign language.
Rosario Faraci &
Agata Cavallaro
Executive Commitee members
Rosario Faraci, 56 years old, is a Professor of Business Economics and Management at the University of Catania where he also serves as Deputy Rector for academic entrepreneurship. Agata Cavallaro, 50 years old, studied Law at the University of Catania. Formerly an Insurance Agent, she got certificates of English as Second Language (ESL) at Texas A&M University and the University of Florida. She serves as a volunteer in several charity organizations.
William Marino
Education Coordinator and Consultant
I am William Marino, a USA based Educator who teaches English as a Second Language. In the early 1900s my 4 grandparents emigrated from Sicily to the USA. As I was growing up, Sicilian, Italian, and English were spoken in my home. I have been teaching English to adults and children from around the world since 1972, and I enjoy helping students make progress as they gain confidence with their ESL skills.
Rosemary Intili Ferdinand
PhD - Director
In 1898, Dr. Rosemary’s grandmother, Rosa Anello, was born in Cerami, Sicily. At 13 years old, Rosa left her ancestral home and boarded a ship for a new life in “America”. Thanks to her uncle’s gift of a tutor, she knew how to read and write when she arrived in the United States. Her humble education kept a community of emigrants connected with their families back in Cerami and inspired her female descendants to pursue their education
Lu Mulla
RN, BSN, MN- Executive Director
Lu was born in New London, Conn, the daughter of an Italian immigrant father from Terlizzi, Italy and a first-generation Sicilian American mother. Her maternal grandparents were from Caltavuturo and Mistretta, Sicily. She holds degrees from the William Carey College School of Nursing, Louisiana State University Graduate School of Nursing and an advanced certificate from the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pesssylvania.
Dr Thomas & Mrs. Karen Gullotti
Executive Director - Director
Tom earned a Doctorate in Optometry from Indiana University and spent 41 years in private Optometric practice. Karen is a University at Buffalo Pharmacy School alumna. Karen enjoyed a 39-year career in Pharmacy. The interest in Italy & Sicily is directly related to their families. Tom’s grandparents emigrated from Tortorici, San Piero Patti, and Bagheria. Karen’s grandparents hailed from the towns of Caccamo, Serradifalco, and Mussomeli Sicily and Vieste on the mainland.
Christine Harrison
Director
I was born and raised in New York to a 1st generation Sicilian mother and Irish heritage father. I am currently residing in Houston, TX.
My beloved Grandmother and her extended family came from Pachino, Sicily to both NYC and Montreal I’m the late 1920’s. We were all very close growing up. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Trinity University in San Antonio. I am currently a mother to three adult children, and have experience as a volunteer, fundraiser, and room mother at their private Catholic schools for many years.
Jenny Johnson - Sardella
Board Member
Jenny Johnson-Sardella is a partner in the Miami, Florida office of Hunter Taubman Fischer & Li, where she advises U.S. and international clients on intellectual property, real estate, and cross-border business matters. Her work includes representing international investors and navigating complex regulatory environments, bringing a thoughtful and globally informed perspective to her practice.
Rino Sardella
Board Member
Rino Sardella is a Florida-based Realtor who works with domestic and international investors, bringing a cross-border perspective to real estate and regional development. Originally from Sicily, Rino maintains strong personal and professional ties to his homeland, particularly in Palermo and the surrounding areas. Rino’s deep love for his native Sicily drives his commitment to supporting the long-term prosperity and vitality of its communities.
Fundraising is on going for the Sicilian Project and we need your help to sustain our mission.
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