Margaret Fontana Assumes Role of Executive Director for New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission

 I'm incredibly proud to announce I've accepted the role of Executive Director for the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission. I'm looking forward to this exciting chapter with an outstanding organization. Please read the full press release below. 

Trenton – March 18, 2024 - The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission proudly announces the appointment of Margaret Fontana as its new Executive Director. With an extensive career spanning diverse sectors in media, nonprofit, healthcare, education and entertainment, Fontana brings a wealth of experience and a passion for cultural preservation to her new role.

A seasoned media executive with extensive expertise in various industries, Margaret Fontana has garnered a sterling reputation for her significant achievements. Her background includes notable roles as a writer and producer for esteemed networks such as NBC, Fox, and Discovery Channel, along with a decade-long tenure in corporate Fortune 500, nonprofit organizations, where she spearheaded award-winning media, leadership, and interactive marketing strategies.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Fontana founded the popular online community and blog, Italian American Girl, which boasts over 45,000 members and serves as a vibrant networking hub for Italian Americans worldwide.

Margaret Fontana's commitment to education and cultural enrichment is evidenced by her active involvement as a guest speaker at her alma mater Rider University. Fontana recently completed her Mini-MBA in Marketing & Communications from Rutgers University.

The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission, established in 2002, is dedicated to promoting and preserving the rich culture, history, and heritage of Italians and Americans of Italian descent. As the newly appointed Executive Director, Margaret Fontana will support the Commission in its mission to coordinate cultural and educational programs that celebrate the contributions of Italian heritage to the fabric of New Jersey's diverse society. Fontana aims to expand its reach and impact through innovative initiatives and strategic partnerships.

"As an Italian American, it is an honor to join The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission and contribute to the preservation of our rich cultural legacy," said Margaret Fontana. "I am excited to collaborate with stakeholders across the state to promote awareness and appreciation of Italian heritage among students, educators, and the broader community." 

Kicking off the Commission’s first major event since Covid, Fontana will lead the NJ Italian Heritage Commission in its Annual Conference on April 20th at Rutgers University, where “Increasing Awareness of Italian Heritage Through Film,’ will be the featured theme. A panel discussion led by notable educators and Italian American voices, will highlight the discussion on the ‘Integration of an Italian’s Dream Leads to the Origin of the Hispanic People and Beyond.’ Included in the presentations will be: 

·       What Is Happening with Our Statues?

·       The Roman Legacy in the Creation of America

·       Video: Gianni Bernego Gardin's Tale of Two Cities about Venice

·       St. Frances Xavier Cabrini - Immigration

To register for this event email Commission@njitalianheritage.org  

Please add RSVP in the subject line.

Sign in and Refreshments from 8:30am to 9:00am

Lunch & Musical Interlude Dame Dr. Mary Rorro

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Anniversary Post Part 1- Celebrating Most Popular Italian American Girl Blogs

So, the Italian American Girl blog is coming up on 10 years!! How can that be possible? I remember when everyone was just starting their online presence and the Italian American Girl blog served as my real world example of becoming digital and yet sharing more about myself and my upbringing.   I truly learned how to become the digital media expert through becoming what they now called an influencer.   I'm very proud of the partnerships, content and events I've promoted, or published over the years.  I've met incredible people from our Italian American world and honestly we are all proud Americans celebrating our cultural heritage.  We all have history as immigrants, as our parents and grandparents.  This country was built on the hard work of immigrants from all over the world, that's what makes America great.

To celebrate some of the throwbacks of the Italian American Blog, I'm highlighting the top blog posts of all time.. it's interesting what topics resonate with so many.  Thank you everyone for the support and love over the years.    We'll be posting an anniversary special feature... perhaps even some LIVE guest posts on Instagram, and Facebook.  Stay tuned.

If you have a product, press or content you would like considered to be featured on my site, please send me a pitch at margaret@italianamericangirl.com

Here are the TOP posts of all time on the Italian American Girl site- Enjoy and thank you!

I'm Italian and Yes, I Have Curly Hair.

Keeping Italian Traditions in an Italian American Life....

Italian Mothers.

Italian American Girl Recipe - Eggplant Polpettone - Meatless Version

How To Make Italian Knot Cookies

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Happy Columbus Day - A Memorable Day For My Father Who First Came To America Over 56 years ago..

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Upcoming Fall Italian American Events - Columbus Day Parade, Educational, Art & Fundraising Galas

PARADE -- This year's Columbus Day Parade will take place in New York City in October, visit the Columbus Citizens Foundation web page for further details and dates. http://www.columbuscitizensfd.org/
The parade is broadcast on the major New York networks such as NBC.


**Photo Credit - http://www.columbuscitizensfd.or

EVENTS --For upcoming events all around New York City, featuring musical events, educational lectures, be sure to visit the i-Italy Digital Project site for the latest updates and features.


GALA -- In October in Washington D.C., The National Italian American Foundation features their Gala, which aims to raise awareness and funds to all programs and education for the Italian American community.  This year's gala will take place on October 25, 2014.

Visit the site here for tickets and further details - http://www.niaf.org/

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Italian American Fall Events 2009

Its that time of year again when many Italian American organizations set their calendars for hosting the best Italian American events across the nation. Here is a list of events on the East and West coasts.

San Gennaro Feast- Little Italy, NY -- September 10-20th 2009
http://www.sangennaro.org/

San Gennaro Festival-Los Angeles, CA--September 25-27th 2009
http://www.feastofla.com/index.html

NOIAW-National Organization of Italian American Women will be holding their annual luncheon on Saturday, September 26th in New York City at the Waldorf-Astoria.
http://www.noiaw.org/

Columbus Day Parade NYC-Columbus Citizens Foundation- October 12, 2009--http://www.columbuscitizensfd.org/cpreview2009.shtml

Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival--October 8-11th. http://www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com/2009/

National Italian American Foundation--Gala Dinner--Weekend of October 24th. http://niaf.org/

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This October Celebrate Italian American Heritage Month With The Thirty-One Days of Italians List for 2009.

Thirty-One Days of Italians 2009 List for Italian American Heritage Month.

CARY, NC – August 24, 2009 – The 2009 Quick Facts List of Thirty-One Days of Italians provides a date and name to celebrate for each day in October during Italian American Heritage Month.

October 1: The Italian Immigrant (A day to honor every Italian who journeyed to America from Italy.)

October 2: Amadeo Pietro Giannini (Established the branch banking system in America.)

October 3: Guglielmo Marconi (Known as the Father of Radio for his experiments with long distance wireless transmissions.)

October 4: Filippo Mazzei (Supporter of American freedom during American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson’s inclusion of “all men are created equal” into the Declaration of Independence is a paraphrase of Mazzei’s “All men are by nature equally free and independent.”)

October 5: Antonio Meucci (Original holder of the patent for the forerunner of today’s telephone.)

October 6: Joe DiMaggio (“The Yankee Clipper” led the NY Yankees to nine World Championships.)

October 7: Mario Lanza (Renowned tenor and film star in the mid-1950s.)

October 8: Helen Barolini (Award winning author of more than 50 literary works.)

October 9: Father Pietro Bandini (Missionary for Native Americans. In 1898 established Tontitown, “a perfect example of colonization," in Arkansas.)

October 10: Enrico Fermi (Discovered radioactive elements that heralded the nuclear age.)

October 11: Antonio Pasin (Created Radio Flyer wagon.)

October 12: Christopher Columbus (Navigator that changed the world, opening trade routes and immigration from Europe to the Americas.)

October 13: Maria Montessori, M.D. (Developed an educational method for teaching children.)

October 14: Henry Mancini (Awarded 20 Grammys and 4 Oscars for his film and television scores.)

October 15: John Ciardi (Poet laureate, etymologist, English professor, and radio host.)

October 16: Vince Lombardi (Football icon.)

October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini (First American citizen to become a saint.)

October 18: Enrico Caruso (World’s most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s.)

October 19: Yogi Berra (Baseball player, manager, and famous for his quotes, known as "yogi-isms.")

October 20: Frank Capra (Acclaimed 20th Century film director, best known for It’s a Wonderful Life.)

October 21: Arturo Toscanini (One of the world’s greatest orchestra conductors.)

October 22: Giovanni da Verrazzano (First European explorer to enter the harbor of New York.)

October 23: Pietro di Donato (Author of the Italian American classic Christ in Concrete.)

October 24: Fiorello La Guardia (First three-term Mayor of New York City, and credited for changing its landscape and building the foundation for the city’s growth after the Depression.)

October 25: Amerigo Vespucci (Namesake of America.)

October 26: Geraldine Ferraro (First woman to be nominated on a major party ticket as Vice President of the United States.)

October 27: Constantino Brumidi (Known as the “Michelangelo of the [U.S.] Capitol.”)

October 28: Daniela Gioseffi (Award winning poet, writer, lecturer, and educator.)

October 29: Frank Sinatra (International entertainment icon.)

October 30: Andrea Palladio ("Father of Architecture," wrote The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential books on architecture of all time, and still in print.)

October 31: Your Favorite Italian (Celebrate someone not on the list, but greatly admired.)

Author, educator, and researcher Janice Therese Mancuso established Thirty-One Days of Italians to promote the significant contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. She was awarded a grant from the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and has received support from the Italian Historical Society of America and others in the Italian American community.

For More Information Go To: Thirty-One Days of Italians http://home.earthlink.net/~31italians/ Tweet

Jimmy Kimmel Hosting National Italian American Foundation Gala Dinner In October.

Get ready for a great time, this October in Washington D.C., the National Italian American Foundation will be holding their annual Gala weekend where late night front man, Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting. The event is scheduled for the weekend of October 24, 2009 in Washington D.C. - Other celebrities, high ranking officials, & artists included in this year's lineup are Janet Napolitano, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Carla Gugino, Antonello Venditti & Massimo F. d'Amore.

Please see the NIAF page for registration details and information:
http://niaf.org/ Tweet

The NIAF 34th Anniversary Gala – Youth Seating - Registration Now Available!

The National Italian American Foundation’s 34th Anniversary Gala is scheduled for October 24, 2009 in Washington, D.C. This year, NIAF guests ages 18-35 will be offered Youth Seating within the main Gala at a special reduced price.

During the gala dinner, guests will enjoy NIAF’s tradition of fine dining and appearances by celebrity guests while bonding with friends at this high-level event.

In keeping with our tradition of hosting the President of the United States, we have invited President Barack Obama to attend. As you know, President Obama has appointed several prominent Italian Americans to high-level posts in his administration. In fact, we are thrilled to announce that Madame Secretary Janet Napolitano will receive the 2009 NIAF Special Achievement Award. Napolitano will be joined by prominent chef Lidia Bastianich, who will receive the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Culinary Arts. Additional honorees will be announced later this summer.

The NIAF Washington Gala is part of the Foundation’s two-day annual convention (held October 23-24, 2009) that includes other special receptions, entertainment and conferences. The Piazza d’Italia, a two-day Best of Italy showcase, will be back. And, you will be treated to first-class entertainment.

Your participation guarantees that NIAF will continue to help young people like you with their higher education, mentoring programs, youth retreats, networking and other efforts to instill a sense of pride in their wonderful heritage. It is our sincere hope that you will support NIAF by attending this event.

We look forward to celebrating with you in October!

Although general gala tickets range from $400 to $2,500 in cost, Youth Seating is in a designated area that only costs $100 per ticket!

REGISTER ONLINE TODAY at:
NIAF-

The info presented here is provided by NIAF. Tweet

Upcoming Italian American Events.

This month is packed with great events for the Italian American community. Some of the most prominent organizations and entertainers are hosting star studded events with awards and honors to outstanding Italian Americans across the country. Check the list below for events if you're interested in attending:

-May 3rd Giada Valenti Performs at St. John's University For Abruzzo Quake Relief Fund. http://tinyurl.com/co95re

-May 16th- Italian American Museum is hosting their annual Gala Awards Dinner at Cipriani's in New York City. For more information: http://italianamericanmuseum.com/news/gala09.html

-May 19th- The National Italian American Foundation is hosting their annual East Coast Gala, where Italian American celebrities will be present to honor outstanding Italian Americans this year. For more information: http://niaf.org/events/2009/ec_gala/ec_gala_home.asp

-June 5th- The Order Sons of Italy Tri Valley Lodge #2829 Presents "A Cafe Night of Acappella and Dinner with CHOICE, Jersey City's Bad Boys of Acappella."
For Information- Visit: http://www.myspace.com/choicebadboys

-June 20th- New Jersey Bocce Invitational will be held in honor of supporting our troops. The event will take place in NJ. Italian American celebrities are slated to appear at this event. See here for more details. http://tinyurl.com/cptuha Tweet

How You Can Help the Victims of the Italian Earthquake.

These past few days for the people of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy have been devastating. Many have endured tragedy along with losing their homes. Tents were set up by the local government and make shift hospitals were resurrected in the streets in order for the injured to receive care. We hope and pray that rescue workers will continue finding those trapped, as they've done an incredible job already.

If you want to help, the National Italian American Foundation has set up a relief fund for your convenience.

https://www.niaf.org/relief/Relief_info.asp

(Photo-Epa)

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NIAF--New Ambassador Newsletter Out This Month.

I just received my NIAF Ambassador Newsletter, its not so much a newsletter..more like a publication..or dare I say a small magazine. In reviewing the entire publication, there were some interesting articles, but particularly a nice commemoration to Dr. Ken Ciongoli, (the chairman of the NIAF.)

On other topics, the NIAF is sponsoring a heritage tour to Reggio Calabria, if you're interested you should go to their site for further sign up details. Also, a great article about dual citizenship tagged into a personal story of an Italian American. If you don't receive Ambassador Newsletter, then you must join NIAF in order to get it.

GO TO:

http://www.niaf.org/

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Recapping October NIAF Gala Dinner.

Well for those of you who missed the NIAF gala dinner like me, you can visit their site for some pictures of the event and write ups on the night's attendees. Unfortunately, Leonardo DiCaprio was a no show due to some type of illness (they report.) Other impressive guests were great Italian singer, Patrizio Buanne, actress Gina Lollobrigida and Barbara Sinatra (wife of late, Frank Sinatra.) According to many fellow Italian Americans who attended the event, it was pretty spectacular. I'm sad I wasn't able to make this year's gala but hopefully will be in attendance for the next one. Here is a link to their site.

http://www.niaf.org/ Tweet

National Italian American Foundation Fall Events and Gala Dinners.

In keeping with updating my Italian American friends on all events Italian American, I wanted to pass along the current events listed for the National Italian American Foundation. This October in Washington D.C., will be the annual convention and gala weekend.

The convention weekend consists of tons of vendors and organizations getting together to bring the latest and most up to date networking of Italian and American products, events, and information . This includes luncheons, cocktail hours, dinners and taste testings. Love that!

The weekend is then topped off with the best gala dinner with major Italian American celebrities, politicians, entrepreneurs and other fellow Italian Americans. The NIAF also hosts a Youth Gala for the younger crowds and members, which is like the main gala but goes longer and is full of more energetic people. No offense.

Just to give you an idea of the type of crowd this event draws in, here is a list of some celebs and politicians from last year's event:

Rudy Giuliani, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Ellen Pompeo of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Connie Stevens, Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, Yogi Berra, Dion, General Peter Pace, Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito Jr., Susan Lucci, Tony LoBianco, Dick Vermeil, Vince Papale, Jerry Vale and Maria Bartiromo.

This year's gala is going to be just as great and maybe even better. For more information on this event and how to become a member of the NIAF, go to:

http://www.niaf.org/

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