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 Eight months after the last Academic
Convocation in the United States, the Academy came back to New York in
order to testify the close tie with the Italian American community
inaugurated during the ceremony
in Rome on 27th May 2002.
On 4th June, the President Ernesto Carpintieri accompanied by the Vice
President Carmen Seidel and the member of the Board of Governors Roma
Maciejewicz arrived in New York with a full agenda of important
appointments.
On the following day, they paid a visit to the Consul General of
Italy to New York H.E. Giorgio Radicati who would have shortly
assumed the position of Ambassador of Italy to Prague. The Consul
General showed high appreciation for the work carried out by the
Academy especially in the field of aggregation and as an emerging
reference point for the Italian community that lives and works in the
United States but that wants to keep a close tie with the country of
origin. He also congratulated the leaders of AEREC on the
far-sightedness as to the European idea introduced much time before
the European Union would have been formalized. He accepted with
enthusiasm to join the Academic Senate during the Academic Convocation
which would have taken place in the same afternoon at the Italian
Cultural Institute.
Later, AEREC’s delegation met Dr. Antonio Cosenza, Director of the
Italian Cultural Institute in New York and host of the ceremony.
He illustrated the many activities of the Institute in a city where
the Italian culture is highly appreciated and studied by persons
coming from all over the world. The vast library is particularly well
organized. He told us that he shortly would have taken up an important
position in Vancouver and that Claudio Angelini, correspondent of Rai’s
TG1 in New York, has been appointed the new Director of the Italian
Cultural Institute in New York.
During the Extraordinary Convocation in the afternoon of 5th June,
seven distinguished representatives of the Italian American
entrepreneurial, scientific and cultural societies joined the Academy
and three new personages entered into the Academic Senate (the Consul
General Giorgio Radicati, the Director of the Italian Cultural
Institute Antonio Cosenza and the Director of the Italian Trade
Commission, Roberto Luongo). The Italian American Neoacademicians were:
Angela Buonocore, Vice President, Corporate Communications of
The Pepsi Bottling Group; Antonio Di Rocco, Associate Professor
of Neurology; Edwin Fondo, Clinical Scientist; Yvonne Lodico,
Attorney at law; Marc Sirangelo, Senior Vice President of
Natexis Bleichroeder; Laurence Tancredi, Forensic Psychiatrist;
John Vassallo, Attorney at law.
Perfectly assisted by the interpreter Maria Galetta, the President
Carpintieri reassumed in his address the programmatic postulates of
the Academy stressing the important humanitarian projects the Academy
is committed to in the Third World.
The Consul General Giorgio Radicati expressed his satisfaction on the
extremely high level of the candidates who perfectly represent the
spirit of Italian descendants that were able to take the great
opportunities offered by the United States achieving very important
entrepreneurial and professional goals. He also mentioned proudly the
long and profitable work carried out by Italy in the United States.
Finally he congratulated the Academy on the important humanitar ian
commitment and handed over a commemorative medal he personally made
strike on the occasion of the millennium.
The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Antonio Cosenza
expressed his pleasure to host such an important and edifying
convention which honours Italy and its vocation for industry and
generosity. He affirmed that the cultural exchange between the two
countries is very important and he stressed that the Italian culture
is very appreciated and has already gained ground in the United States.
The director of the Italian Trade Commission Roberto Luongo confirmed
the importance of the Italian product on the American market and
stressed that its consumption is rising more and more. However, he
asserted that it is yet possible to encourage more Italian
entrepreneurs to start export through an intense information campaign
concerning the regulations of the local market. He added that he has
engaged himself in this sense in order to grant the Italian
entrepreneurs complete assistance.
At the end of this touching convention, three special women received
the award “Donna di Successo” (successful woman): Emilia Nuccio, Paola
Greiger-Zanlungo, both Academicians, and Marta Lotti, Director of
Press and Public Relations for North America at Alitalia Airlines.
After a cocktail generously offered by the host Antonio Cosenza, the
members of the Academic Senate and the Neoacademicians with their
guests concluded the evening with a dinner at the restaurant Vivolo,
one of the most prestigious and refined restaurants of New York run by
Mr. Vivolo who with passion and professionality created the atmosphere
and the quality of one of the best Italian restaurants.
The day after, Friday 6th June, the President Carpintieri and the Vice
President Carmen Seidel were officially received by the Ambassador
of Italy to the United Nations H.E. Marcello Spatafora at the
United Nations Plaza. On account of previously fixed appointments, he
was not able to attend the Academic Convocation the day before but he
expressed his honour and pleasure to become part of the Academic
Senate. He commended and expressed admiration for the activity of
AEREC and he offered his cooperation and assistance in the
accreditation of the Academy at the United Nations through the vast
network of his diplomatic contacts.
The last day, Mr. Carpintieri met once again Roberto Luongo in order
to discuss the details of a concrete cooperation between the Italian
Trade Commission in New York and AEREC’s Committee for International
Affairs in order to intensify the promotion and development of the
marketing of the Italian product in the United States.
AEREC will be once again in the United States at the end of October
with a series of important activities which include the participation
in the annual NIAF convention in Washington.
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