Distinguished Service Awards

The final draft of this award was unanimously approved by the Executive Council at the December 1984 meeting of the AATI in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the Award is to recognize and further encourage the achievements and contributions of the members of the AATI for distinguished teaching and / or published research in the fields of Italian language, literature, and civilization. The now annual award, consisting of a plaque and lifetime membership, is presented under the auspices of the AATI Selection Committee at the Association’s annual convention.

2023 AATI Distinguished Service Awards Call for Nominations

K-12 & College/University

The award aims to recognize AATI members for distinguished service to the Association as well as notable teaching and/or published scholarship in the fields of Italian language, literature, cinema, culture, and civilization.  The award consists of a plaque and lifetime membership in the AATI and is presented under the auspices of the AATI Selection Committee at the Association’s annual convention.  Initially presented every two years, the AATI Distinguished Service Award is now awarded yearly.  Any current AATI member who has made a significant contribution to building the Association, fulfilling its objectives and developing the profession, can be nominated.

One award is granted annually in each category: 1) K-12; and 2) College/University.  Among the Committee’s considerations for conferring the award will be: 1) current membership in the AATI; 2) the number of years the nominee has been a member of AATI; 3) the nominee’s quantity and quality of service to the organization; 4) the nominee’s presence at AATI conferences; 5) the nominee’s promotion of Italian Studies in North America, Italy, and beyond; 6) the nominee’s general collegiality (collaboration and empathetic support of colleagues) as detailed by the nomination, letters of support, and CV; and 7) the nominee’s accomplishments in teaching (K-12) and teaching and published scholarship (College/University).

In 2012, the AATI Executive Council approved the following guidelines for the two Distinguished Service Awards: 

  1. Candidates must be current members of the AATI.
  2. Nominators submit a letter of nomination presenting the candidate and explaining the individual’s qualifications.
  3. Nominators submit three letters of support in addition to their own letter of nomination.
  4. Nominators submit a current curriculum vitae of the nominee, to be obtained directly from the nominee with the nominee’s consent. While containing the typical information, the CV should also clearly indicate the following,
    1. Service to the AATI (type and years), highlighted in yellow.
    2. The number of years the candidate has been a member of the AATI, highlighted in yellow.
    3. Participation in or presence at AATI conferences, highlighted in yellow.
  1. Nominators explicitly indicate in their letters the award for which the person is being nominated, either K-12 or College/University. In the event of a cross-nomination (for example, a College/University nominee for a K-12 Distinguished Service Award), the specific nature of the nominee’s service to the other level must be clearly identified.
  2. Nominators provide complete and accurate contact information (nominee, nominator, recommenders).
  3. Nominators submit materials—in a single email with multiple attachments—to the Chair of the Distinguished Service Award Committee prior to or on the designated deadline indicated in this call. Nominators will submit complete files if they wish their nominee to receive full consideration by the Committee. The Distinguished Service Committee will NOT solicit materials.
  4. No self-nominations will be accepted.
  5. Nominees must consent to the nomination. Once the nominee has been notified of the nomination, they must inform the committee chair, within one week in writing, of their acceptance or refusal of the nomination.

 

Please submit your nomination and supporting documentation to Virginia Picchietti, Committee Chair, no later than June 1, 2023, at virginia.picchietti@scranton.edu.  Award winners will be announced by August 21, 2023. (Please note the updated deadlines!)

 

The final draft of this award was approved by the Executive Council.

Distinguished Service Awards Committee:

Virginia Picchietti, Chair, 2021-2022

  • Enrico Minardi, 2022-2023
  • Ida Giampietro Wilder, 2023
  • Francesca Savoia, 2023

The Recipients of the AATI Distinguished Service Awards

2022 Francesca Savoia, Professor of Italian, University of Pittsburgh
2022 Ida Giampietro Wilder, Teacher of Italian, Athena High School (Greece Central School Distrcit)
2021 Colleen Ryan, Professor of Italian, Indiana University Bloomington
2021 Teresa Picarazzi, Teacher of Italian, Hopkins School (New Haven, CT)
2020  Ryan Calabretta-Sajder, Assistant Professor of Italian, University of Arkanas
2020 Lucrezia Lindia, Teacher of Italian/Dept. Chair, Eastchester Union Free School District
2019 Patti Grunther, Watchung Hills Regional High School
2019 Mark Pietralunga, Florida State University
2018 Antonietta DiPietro, Teacher of Italian, Florida
2018 Frank Nuessel, Professor of Italian, University of Louisville
2017 Dino Cervigni, Professor of Italian, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2017 Mariastella Cocchiara, Teacher of Italian, Massachusetts
2016 Irene Marchegiani, Professor of Italian, Stony Brook University
2016 Barbara Borghi, Teacher of Italian, Pascal Valley High School
2015 Elissa Tognozzi, Professor of Italian, University of California Los Angeles, CA
2015 Ida Lanza, Teacher of Italian, San Pedro High School, CA
2014 Salvatore Bancheri, Professor of Italian, University of Toronto, CA
2014 Beth Bartolini-Salimbeni, Teacher of Italian, Cibola High School, NM
2013 Carlo Sclafani, Professor of Italian, Westchester Community College, NY
2013 Anthony Tamburri, Professor of Italian, Calandra Institute, and CUNY
2012 Mario Mignone, Professor of Italian, SUNY, Stony Brook
2012 Lyn Scolaro, Teacher of Italian, Prospect High School, IL
2011 Michael Lettieri, Professor of Italian, University of Toronto
2010 Graziana Lazzarino, Professor of Italian, University of Colorado at Boulder
2009 Paolo Giordano, Professor of Italian, University of Central Florida, Orlando
2008 Bruna Petrarca Boyle, Teacher of Italian, Narragansett High School, Narragansett
2007 Nicholas J. Perella, Professor of Italian, University of California, Berkeley
2006 Christopher Kleinhenz, Professor of Italian, University of Wisconsin, Madison
2004 Rosa Bellino Giordano, Teacher of Italian and French, Lyons Township High School, La Grange, Illinois
2002 Anthony Mollica, Professor of Education, Brock University, Ontario, Canada
2000 Albert N. Mancini, Professor of Italian, Ohio State University
1998 Julius A. Molinaro, Professor of Italian, University of Toronto
1996 Joseph A. Tursi, Professor of Italian, SUNY at Sony Brook
1994 Edoardo A. Lèbano, Professor of Italian, Indiana University
1992 Robert C. Melzi, Professor of Italian, Widener University
1990 Olga Ragusa, Professor of Italian, Columbia University
1988 S. Bernardo, Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, SUNY at Binghamton
1988 Giovanni Cecchetti, Professor of Italian, UCLA
1986 Joseph Tusiani, Professor of Italian, Herbert C. Lehman College, CUNY