For Immediate Release:
September 14, 2006
FOX 5’s ROSANNA SCOTTO TO SPEAK AT DAVINCI SOCIETY AWARDS DINNER
Staten Island, New York – Rosanna Scotto, co-anchor of WNYW-TV “FOX 5 News at 5pm” and “FOX 5 News at 10pm,” will be the guest speaker at Wagner College’s DaVinci Society 3rd annual awards dinner on Thursday, September 28 at 6:00 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield. An honoree at last year’s awards dinner, Eleanor Conforti is the chairperson of the event. Eleanor is a retired teacher with the City Department of Education and was a longtime chairperson of the former Community School Board 31.
Dinner proceeds will fund the Wagner College DaVinci Society’s “Adopt-a-Scholar” Scholarship. This scholarship is supported by a tri-party partnership between Wagner College, the DaVinci Society and the Columbus Citizens Foundation. The four-year, $60,000 scholarship is given to deserving Italian-American students who have achieved academic excellence, and who would like to further his/her education at Wagner College. This year’s recipients are Elizabeth Mustacchio ’09 and Anthony Santoro ’10.
The DaVinci Society honors noteworthy Italian-Americans each year at the awards dinner to promote the understanding and appreciation of Italian-American culture and heritage in New York.
Among this year’s honorees are: Frank Besignano, Executive Vice President/Market President of the SI Bank & Trust division of Sovereign Bank; Lou DeLuca ’59, C.E.O. of United Activities Unlimited, Inc.; Rev. Lee MacCallum, pastor of Olivet Presbyterian Church; Richard Nicotra, Chairman/President of the Nicotra Group, LLC; Barbara Gigante, founder of KidSmart; and Vito J. Fossella, President of Land Planning and Engineering Consultants, P.C.
Tickets are $125 per person, and can be purchased through the Office of Institutional Advancement at Wagner College by phoning Betty McComiskey at (718) 420-4014.
HONOREES
Rosanna Scotto
Rosanna Scotto is the co-anchor of “WNYW-TV FOX 5 News at 5pm” and “FOX 5 News at 10pm.” She has been a member of WNYW-FOX 5 News since 1986, where she anchored the Sunday edition of “FOX 5 News at 10pm” and served as a field correspondent.
Rosanna began her career in television at WTBS, Ted Turner's UHF television station in Atlanta, where she was a reporter for two local programs and an associate producer of the station's evening newscast. She returned to her native New York in the early 1980s as a reporter for WABC's “Good Morning New York,” which eventually became “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.” After a year with “Good Morning New York” and “The Morning Show,” Scotto joined WABC-TV's "Eyewitness News" as a reporter, where she remained until she joined FOX 5.
Rosanna has covered many major stories in the tri-state area. Her assignments have taken her to Israel, Rome and across the United States. As a reporter, she won an endless string of coveted assignments including the Woody Allen/Mia Farrow child custody battle, the notorious "Preppie Murder Trial" and the trials of Joel Steinberg and the "Swiss Nanny."
Rosanna has won three Emmys for anchoring “FOX 5 News at 10pm” and “Good Day New York.” She is also the winner of the 1995 New York State Associated Press First Place Award for her report “New York Survival Guide.”
In addition to professional accolades, Rosanna has received a host of honors and awards for her community service work. She is a graduate of Catholic University and holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Rosanna now lives in the New York area with her husband and their two children.
Frank Besignano
Frank Besignano is an Executive Vice President/Market President of the SI Bank & Trust division of Sovereign Bank. Frank has been a banker on Staten Island for 24 years, beginning as a branch manager of Staten Island Savings Bank, followed by 16 years as Senior Vice President/Director of Marketing & Business Development for SI Bank & Trust. In the past two years, he has been responsible for the retail operations of Independence Community Bank on Staten Island and will continue in a similar capacity with Sovereign Bank.
Frank’s community activities include board positions at Staten Island University Hospital, Visiting Nurse Association of Staten Island, March of Dimes (including co-chair of Walk-America for 9 years), Staten Island Children’s Campaign and Boy Scouts of America. He is also a member of the finance committee of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the College of Staten Island/Project Staten Island. In addition, he participates in various fundraising activities and participates on committees for several other local organizations.
Frank has received recognition for his community service from the YMCA, United Activities Unlimited and Boy Scouts of America.
He is a native Staten Islander and a graduate of Baruch College/CUNY; and has received industry related certificates from The University of Colorado and Fairfield University. Frank lives in West Brighton with his wife, Laura.
Lou DeLuca ’59
Lou DeLuca is the C.E.O. of United Activities Unlimited, Inc, a not-for-profit agency that provides education, recreation and drug counseling for 15,000 youth ages 6-21. He has increased the agency’s funding from $400,000 to $3 million and has successfully written grant proposals and secured funding to develop new adult, intergenerational, education, and Child Welfare Administration programs.
Prior to his current job, Lou has held positions at Country Club Travel (Owner and Founder), the Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Fund (CEO), American Parkinson Disease Association (CEO), Wagner College (VP – Development), Jersey City State College (VP – Development), The Virginia College Fund (Executive Director), and Marycrest College (VP – Development).
In addition, Lou has been an adjunct professor of Education at Wagner for 17 years. In spring 2000, he formed the DaVinci Society, which provides first hand experiences in Italian culture for students at Wagner College through its scholarship and travel overseas program. He also played an integral part in the formation of the Wagner College Annual Fund. Additionally, Lou has been chair of the Alberti Golf Classic (2004-2005); fundraiser for the Athletic Hall of Fame and a member of its Selection committee; faculty advisor for Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity; and volunteer referee for Wagner’s Intramurals League. He also participates in various other community related activities and has been honored with numerous awards including the 2006 Wagner College Alumni Leadership Medal.
Lou DeLuca graduated from Wagner College in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in Education. He went on to receive his master’s in Physical Education at NYU. His involvement and devotion to the College has been unwavering. He and his life partner, Cynthia de Heyman Spry ’62 have seven children.
Rev. Charles Lee MacCallum
The Rev. Lee MacCallum has been the pastor of Olivet Presbyterian Church in Staten Island since 1972. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Rev. MacCallum came to Staten Island after serving as Associate Pastor of the Hamburg Presbyterian Church in suburban Buffalo, NY.
During his tenure at Olivet the church has grown, both in size and in diversity. Begun in the early 1900's as an Italian Mission Congregation, Olivet is now a church of people from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Rev. MacCallum has special interest in programs for youth and the elderly. In 1986, under his leadership, Olivet worked in partnership with St. Vincent's Hospital to build Joseph House, a 75 unit apartment complex on church property, providing low-income elderly with affordable, federally subsidized housing.
Rev. MacCallum has led numerous youth mission teams to various places throughout his ministry. Most recently, he led a group of 33 adults and youth from his church and a Reformed Church congregation in Warwick, NY, to help in hurricane reconstruction in Florida. He also has a long history of public service with a number of organizations, and
has received church and community service awards from the New York City Council of Churches, The Salvation Army, YMCA, Rotary, Neighborhood Housing Services, The Community Agency for Senior Citizens, The Deborah League and Project Hospitality.
Rev. MacCallum received a bachelor's degree in literature from Wheaton, College in Illinois in 1965, and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, NJ in 1968. He has been married to his wife, Louise, since 1964, and has two sons, Keith and Kevin, and eight grandchildren.
Richard Nicotra
Richard Nicotra is the Chairman/President of the Nicotra Group, LLC, a real estate development company. He has properties in Staten Island and Manhattan, and is the developer of the 415-acre Corporate Park of Staten Island. Richard is also the founder of a not-for-profit organization called The Bloomfield Conservancy. This organization, through contributions, is responsible for maintaining The Corporate Park of Staten Island and its surrounding areas. Additionally, he and his wife Lois were responsible for the development and opening of the Hilton Garden Inn. This business class hotel has 150 rooms, an indoor heated pool and hot tub, a business center, Spa and an award winning restaurant, bar and cabaret called Lorenzo’s. Attached to the Hilton, is Nicotra’s Ballroom, a 25,000 square foot banquet facility surrounded by the Tea House Garden, Trevi Garden and the Great Lawn, which is adorned with a magnificent Gazebo flown in from Florence, Italy.
Prior to forming the Nicotra Group, Richard was Chairman and CEO of Everything Yogurt Brands, Inc. He opened the first Everything Yogurt store in 1976 in the Wall Street area of Manhattan and expanded the business to more than 250 franchises nationwide before selling it in August 2003.
Richard is also a member of the Board of Directors of the following: The Foundation of the College of Staten Island; The Foundation of the Staten Island University Hospital; and his favorite charity, The Daughters of St. Paul. He is a supporter of numerous charitable organizations including: The DaVinci Society of Wagner College; Project Hospitality; the Todt Hill Civic Association; and St. John’s University Alumni Association. Richard and his wife have also been the recipients of numerous distinguished awards being recognized for their philanthropy, charitable work and support of the arts as well as their efforts to bring new business to Staten Island.
Richard is a native Staten Islander and graduate of St. John’s University. In 1986, he was the youngest person in St. John’s history to receive an Honorary Doctorate degree. He and his wife reside in the Todt Hill section of Staten Island. His hobbies include traveling, theater, fine arts and, of course, restaurants.
Barbara Gigante
Barbara Gigante’s new venture and challenge has been negotiating with Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) to open a child care center, exclusively for its employees. After several years and completion of renovations, KidSmart, a Learning Child Care Center, will hopefully open its doors this September 2006.
Previously, Barbara was the founder and executive director of Celebration for Kids Learning Center, Concord. The progressive school, which was located at 75 Skyline Dr., provided children ages six weeks to 10 years with an extraordinary education but closed November 11, 2005. Created in 1993, under the direction of Barbara’s own special vision, the year-round school operated under the Bank Street College of Education philosophy of providing a “child-centered” or “developmental-interaction approach” to learning. The program didn’t follow the traditional academic school curriculum. Instead, it allowed children to be very active participants in the educational process through opportunities that provide room for physical, social, emotional and cognitive growth. Additionally, it was the only infant-toddler school and also only the third pre-school on Staten Island that had been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Before she became a teacher extraordinaire, Barbara worked at the Bank Nationale de Paris as a secretary followed by an assistant trader with Cantor Fitzgerald. Very involved in her community, she is a member of the Democratic County Committee, the Professional Early Educators of Richmond County and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Barbara graduated from Marquette University, Milwalkee, Wis., with a major in French and a minor in Elementary Education. She has her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, and received her Master of Business Administration from Wagner College in 2000. She and her husband Robert, Staten Island Supreme Court Justice and former Island Democratic Party Chairman, moved to the Island in 1972 and have four children, Robert A., Giana, Chad, and Christian.
Vito J. Fossella
Vito J. Fossella, father of Staten Island Congressman Vito Fossella Jr., has re-shaped the face of Staten Island. As President of Land Planning and Engineering Consultants, P.C., he is involved in the planning, design and supervision of the construction of small and large scale residential, commercial and industrial developments including site and subdivision analysis. Some of his better-known projects include Costco, United Artist Movie Theatre on Forest Avenue, the Shops at Forest Avenue, the award-winning Adco Electric building, The Hilton Garden Inn, and other buildings by developer Richard Nicotra such as 900, 1000, 1100 and 1200 South Avenue.
Prior to his present job, Vito held various positions in his quest to better New York City such as Chairman/Vice Chairman/Commissioner of the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals during the Ed Koch administration; Commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Marine and Aviation during the Abe Beame administration; and Richmond County Boro Engineer for the NYC Dept. of Highways during the John Lindsay administration.
Vito has contributed much of his time to various community organizations including the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC), Staten Island University Hospital’s board of trustees, and the American Parkinson Disease Association.
Vito graduated from Newark College of Engineering in 1964 with a BS in Civil Engineering and earned his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from New York University in 1971. He then went on to receive a Doctor of Civil Law Honoris Rausa in 1982 from St. John’s University. From the late 60’s to the early 80’s he shared his knowledge as a part-time adjunct professor at both St. John’s University and the College of Staten Island (CSI).
