Candidates for the AMHS Board of Directors

By Maria D’Andrea-Yothers, AMHS Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce three candidates to serve on the AMHS Board of Directors: Julie Finigan Dal Forno, John Iazzetti, and Teresa Margaret Talierco. Elections will be held at the general membership meeting on Sunday, November 20, 2022 at Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center.

These candidates, if elected, will replace John Dunkle, Chris Renneker, and Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta, Jr. We greatly appreciate their three years of service and all that they have contributed to the mission and objectives of the Society.

Additional nominations may be made from the floor during the November 20 meeting, after which the nominations will be closed, and the election will be held. The elected board members shall assume office on January 1, 2023, and will be installed at the January 2023 general membership meeting. The term of office is for three years.

Julie Finigan Dal Forno

Julie was born and raised in Massachusetts. After completing her Master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, she moved to Rome for six years, to Bangkok, Thailand, for two years, and Singapore for five years. Julie has taught high school for over twenty-five years on three different continents and currently teaches at the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.

She has had a lifelong interest in Italian language, literature, and culture and is a member of the Italian Language Foundation (ILF) and Italians in DC. Julie enjoys traveling to Italy each year and skiing whenever she can. Julie is married to Corrado and they have two sons, William and Nicholas. They reside in Potomac, Maryland.

John Iazzetti

John was born in what is known as the Little Italy section of the Bronx, hinged by Arthur Avenue. His maternal great-grandfather emigrated from Agnone in Molise in 1886 and settled in the Bronx. His great grandmother followed in 1899. His father’s family emigrated from Avellino.

John worked at Citibank fresh out of high school and attended college at night, earning a BS in Marketing. He later received a Master’s degree in Religious Studies and a Postgraduate in Theology. He is a former member of the Westchester County Genealogical Society, and a current member of the Sons of Italy and the Knights of Columbus. He is married with 4 children and 4 grandchildren. He is currently working on his Italian dual citizenship.

Teresa Margaret Talierco

Teresa was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, on April 15, 1951. Her paternal grandfather, Giovanni Talierco, had emigrated from the island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples and her paternal grandmother, Olivia Nerone, had emigrated from the city of Naples.

Teresa graduated from Coatesville High School in 1969 and received a full scholarship to attend Trinity College (now University) in Washington, D.C. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1973, and then she earned a Master of Arts degree in sociology from Loyola University in Baltimore in 1975. After graduation, she moved to Falls Church, Virginia, where she was employed as a Licensed Professional Counselor by the Dominion Psychiatric Hospital.

In July 1982, she joined the Avanti Italiani Lodge in Alexandria, Va., which was associated with the Order of the Sons (and now Daughters) of Italy in America. She served as the lodge treasurer from 1983 to 1984 when she was elected president. She served two years until July 4, 1986, when she married Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta Jr. They honeymooned in Italy, visiting both her family in Rome and Ischia and her husband’s family in Rome and Abruzzo. Because the lodge was for singles only, Teresa and her husband transferred to the George Washington Lodge in Arlington, Va. She was elected vice president in 1991 and served for two years until she was elected president, serving from 1993 to 1995.

When their son, Joseph Anthony Scafetta III, was born on October 28, 1998, in Washington, D.C., Teresa resigned from the Dominion Psychiatric Hospital and started a private practice in McLean, Virginia, specializing in counseling teenagers, young adults, and families with young children.

When the George Washington Lodge was dissolved, Teresa and her husband transferred their memberships to the Italian Heritage Lodge in Fairfax, Virginia, where they remain active. Teresa, her husband and son last visited their families in Italy in 2002. After her husband became a member of the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society (AMHS) in 2008, Teresa and their son joined. Teresa has been active in AMHS events and activities.