Congratulations to Comm. Thomas A. Lupo, newly elected National President of OSDIA (Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America), who succeeds Michael G. Polo in this role.
During its 59th Biennial Convention, held in Orlando, Florida, OSDIA presented several significant awards.
Hon. Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, received their most prestigious honor, the Guglielmo Marconi Award. Elected Comptroller by a bipartisan majority of the State Legislature in 2007, Hon. DiNapoli was elected Comptroller in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Manager of the NY State Pension Fund, he provides oversight for New Yorkers’ tax dollars.
Joanne Persico, a 4-time Hall of Famer and former collegiate volleyball player (Big East Player of the Year in 1987), is the recipient of the OSDIA Sports Award. As Head Coach of St. John’s University’s volleyball she has nearly 600 career wins, more than any other sport at SJU.
Also honored were Lynn Lawrence-Murphy (former elementary school teacher) and Frank Panessa (Drug Enforcement Administration agent for 28 years), recipients of the prized Sellaro Award, named after Vincent Sellaro, M.D., who founded the organization in June 1905.
In attendance was Secretary of the IAMDC Board Cav. Mary Ann Re, PhD, a longtime ‘at large’ Gold member of OSDIA. She serves on the Scholarship Committee of the Sons of Italy Foundation.
“Congratulations to all the honorees, and we look forward to working with the new OSDIA Leadership” said Francesco Isgro, President of the Italian American Museum of Washington, DC.
