Trustees

Jim DeLauro

President president@iaclub.org01

Email: president@iaclub.org

I was born in Buffalo, New York to parents who were both first generation citizens of the United States. All four of my grandparents were immigrants from Southern Italy, originating within 30 miles of Naples. When I was 21 years old, my parents brought me with them on trip to Italy where they introduced me to extended family members. I met my fath... Show More

Bernardo (Bernie) Franceschi

Vice President 02

Email: events@iaclub.org

I was born and raised in a small coal mining town in NE Pennsylvania to which my grandfather, Domenico, who was the first of seven brothers to emigrate to in the 1890’s. They were from the Trentino-Alto Adige region in the far northern and utterly beautiful Dolomite mountains (the southern Alps really.) My paternal grandmother was from that same area, but she emigrated many years later. There were nine in my father’s family, and he had many American first cousins who were the offspring of his several uncles, as well as several Italian cousins who were the offspring of my grandfather’s sisters who did not emigrate. However, as is the case with some immigrants, they chose not to pass the language and culture on to their American children. So, none of my dad’s siblings or very few of his cousins had any interest in their Italian heritage. However, my father did have such an interest and even found a way to visit his parents’ birthplace and relatives when stationed in Italy during World War II thankfully after the Italian surrender to the Allies). He passed that love for his heritage on to me. It wasn’t until after graduating from college and my grandmother passing away (my Italian grandfather died several years before I was born) that I developed an interest in my heritage and traveled to Italy to meet my cugini Italiani. I have made 6 visits there over the years, during one of which I studied Italian at La Universita’ per Stranieri a Perugia. This enabled me to communicate and develop real and lasting bonds with the relatives and land from which my paternal grandparents came. In terms of my life in the US, I have an undergraduate degree from Boston College, the area where I lived until moving across the country to Portland, OR. I lived, got married (and later divorced), had four kids, co-founded a successful personal financial advisory firm, and generally had a good life for another 36 years there before moving back to Boston and Providence for five more. I moved to Grand Rapids in April of 2018 to live near my older son and his wife who have my first 3 grandchildren. Of my other 3 adult children, my two daughters still living in Portland and my younger son, Domenico is married and living in New Orleans. All four of them have been back to visit our Italian relatives in Trentino. I have one other grandchild, the daughter of my younger daughter, who is in this photo with me. My wish in joining the IACWM Board is to draw on my love for, ties to and experience of Italy and Italian to the benefit of the membership and the Greater Grand Rapids community. Show Less

Mike Bellomo

Meetup Coordinator 03

Email: meetups@iaclub.org

I am originally from Flint MI. My parents were Mike and Josephine Bellomo. My father was born in Valenzano Puglia Italy to Nicola Bellomo and Francesca De Bellis. He came to America in 1921 and settled in Chicago. My mother’s parents, Antonino Manno and Cona Randazzo, came to America from San Cono Sicily in the Provence of Enna around 1906 and set... Show More

Robert Budinsky

Social Media Coordinator 04

Email: socials@iaclub.org

You are correct, my last name is not very Italian. In fact, it’s Slovak. However, I’m a 2nd generation Italian-American on my mother’s side of the family (née DiPiero) and I enjoy learning about my family’s Italian heritage. My grandmother’s family originated from Calabria and my grandfather’s family was from Abruzzi. I grew up in Youngsto... Show More

David Daniele

Information & Technology Coordinator 05

Email: info@iaclub.org

I was born in Detroit and lived in the metro Detroit area until I was 18, when I moved to Kalamazoo for school (Western Michigan University), which is where I fell in love with the west side of the state. My Italian heritage is connected to Abruzzo (L’Aquila) on my father’s side, where we currently have family residing. And Sicilian heritage on my mot... Show More

Carla Frassetto

Treasurer 07

Email: treasurer@iaclub.org

I was born and raised in the Detroit area to parents that immigrated from Italy in 1948, so I am a first-generation Italian-American. My father is from Bavaria, and my mother is from the neighboring town of Cusignana. Both towns are in the Province of Treviso, approximately 35 miles from Venice. When I was nine years old, my parents took my s... Show More

Jason Mancuso

Secretary 08

Email: secretary@iaclub.org

I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and have lived in the metro area my entire life. My Sicilian ancestors all arrived in Grand Rapids before 1920, originating from Alcamo, Termini Imerese, Palermo and Cefalù. After graduating from Grandville High School, I studied automotive technology and photography at Grand Rapids Community College. I recentl... Show More

Stephanie Scott

Membership Coordinator 08

Email: membership@iaclub.org

Stephanie Scott is the owner and founder of Grow Business Today, a company dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small businesses scale efficiently and market for both growth and social impact. With a passion for business development and marketing strategy focused on growing business while doing good, Stephanie has helped countless businesses in... Show More

Denise Taylor

Cultural Coordinator 09

Email: culture@iaclub.org

My fraternal grandparents, Sante Iarossi and Domenica Riga came to America in 1928 and settled in Weirton, West Virginia, where my father was born soon after. He always liked to remind us that he was conceived in Italy. I was also born in Weirton, and was part of a large Italian community there, but unfortunately my parents divorced when I was 5 years ... Show More

Michael Wilson

Merchandise Coordinator 11

Email: merch@iaclub.org

I was born and grew up in Traverse City Michigan with my parents and sister, enjoying the cherry festival each summer and the fantastic area of northern Michigan. I then received a full athletic scholarship to attend Michigan Tech university where I attended through 1992 and then moved to the Grand Rapids area where I met my wife and raised all four of our... Show More