Foundation Board Members and Officers

The Foundation was created in 2022 and the Board of Directors held their first meeting in September to elect officers.

RaffaelaMarie Rizzo Fenn - President

Daughter of Michelangelo Ritzzo and author of "Thank You For The Shoes" the story of Michelangelo's coming to America. Born in Calabria, Italy, and raised in Connecticut, Marie graduated from Norwalk High School. She earned her BA in media studies from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, and an MBA from Jacksonville (FL) University. She worked in advertising and promotions at the New York Times Magazine Division and was a freelance feature writer for Norwalk Hour. Marie spent twenty years in the corporate world, specializing in corporate, public, and investor relations. Marie was responsible for developing and implementing strategic programs at the national and international levels as President and Managing Director of the US National Peanut Board, a research and promotions organization under the auspices of the USDA. She served as president of the Amelia Island Book Festival and a director of the Boys & Girls Club Nassau County Foundation. She is currently mentoring a group of high school women. In 2015, she co-founded Giro di Mondo Publishing.
http://www.rmrizzo.com

Vincent Bonaddio

Grandson of Michelangelo Ritzzo. He has 40 years of Senior Executive experience associated with Personnel Development, Business Management, Operations, Innovation and R & D in technology companies. He holds more than 30 patents relating to industrial foam and foam applications. Vincent graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University, School of Chemical Engineering.

Dr. Michael J. Marotto, PhD

Grandson of Michelangelo Ritzzo, Dr. Michael J. Marotto, PhD, teacher and lecturer, is an adjunct in English and Education at the University of Connecticut, Stamford and Waterbury. Dr. Marotto holds a Masters in Literature and American Studies and Certificate of Advanced Study from Fairfield University, and his Doctorate in Language, Literacy, and Learning was awarded from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology in New York City.

Dr. Marotto has presented extensively in the field of the psychological interpretations and analysis of American Literature and cultural publications; has taught composition through literature at Stamford UConn and at Norwalk Community College; has taught education classes in the TCPCG Program at UConn’s Neag School of Education; and, based on his years of experience in public education as a teacher and administrator, has become an educational consultant on a variety of topics including classroom instruction, scheduling, and education research as it informs practice. He is currently engaged in research concerning the effects on cognitive behavior in readers’ self-reflection through fiction.

Dr. Marotto conducts his educational seminars with a focus on the practical application of grounded educational theory, and he also conducts literary seminars at area libraries.

Mary Elwell - Secretary

Mary Elwell graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Education. She has been teaching and coaching for over thirty years in both public and private schools from Alaska to Florida. She has taught at St. Michael Academy in Fernandina Beach for more than twenty years. Teaching is Mary’s passion, and she finds great joy when students learn the love of learning, especially reading. She believes: “Learning never exhausts the mind.” -Leonardo de Vinci

James Marino - Board Director

James “Jim” Marino was born to first-generation Italian parents in Brooklyn, New York. His father’s family came to the USA from Palermo, Sicily, and his Mother’s from Nola, Italy. He attended Emporia State University in Kansas, earning degrees in Physical Education, Sociology, and Biology. He received a degree in physical therapy at Wichita State University.
Jim and wife Shay, a registered nurse, started and operated the multi-office Nassau Physical Therapy for 30 years before retiring.

Mark Fenn - Treasurer

Managing Director of the Ottima Group LLC. Lived in Italy for 5 years during his formative years. Mark earned his undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science at the Johns Hopkins University and an MBA in finance at the University of Connecticut. After 25 years of Corporate experience in accounting, finance and operations Mark took to consulting and most recently was co-founder of Giro di Mondo Publishing.