Profiles

Linnea McHugh knows that spearheading change in government is a slow process, but she’s up for the task. McHugh is the chief policy officer for the Cook County Board of Review’s District 2, playing a key role in shaping policies that improve transparency, efficiency and equity in property tax assessment appeals and ensure fair property valuations across Cook County. “I was brought on to help address the  consistent communication issues which exist between the factions of government that oversee the property tax system to become more manageable  and successful through interoffice relations, to make sure that the Cook County District …

Becoming the president of the Columbian Club of Chicago is another opportunity for Gerard Iannuzzelli to be a leader. Since he moved to Palatine in 1994, Iannuzzelli has been involved in many local groups, including the Palatine Men’s Civic Club, the Palatine Jaycees, the Sons of the American Legion and others, often taking on leadership positions. “I love the leadership role, I love guiding organizations,” Iannuzzelli says. “Maybe it’s related to my desire to keep traditions alive.” In addition to serving local organizations, in 2011 Iannuzzelli was elected to a four-year-term as a member on the Community Consolidated District 15 …

When Italian teacher Alessia Defraia earned a scholarship for an internship at the Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago, she thought she’d spend about three months in the city. Eighteen years later, she is still there, having amassed an impressive breadth and depth of experience in her field. “I jokingly say I’m like the ‘Nutella of Chicago’ because I’m everywhere in the Italian teaching scene,” she says. Defraia is a part-time instructor at the University of Loyola Chicago, where she has taught elementary, intermediate and advanced Italian, teaching methodologies and Italian linguistics. She teaches Italian at the nonprofit ItalCultura, the Italian …

A photo of Jack Lamberti enhances the Lake Forest High School Wall of Excellence, honoring student athletes who exemplify outstanding performance, leadership, spirit, and sportsmanship. He captained the varsity golf and baseball team his senior year. He was a varsity player in both sports all four years of high school, during which he exemplified the grit and commitment that were an integral part of his Italian roots. Jack is the great grandson of Franco Lamberti, who emigrated with his family from Italy in 1955. To Franco, the United States meant opportunity, jobs and a better future for his wife, children …

Built at Camp Atterbury during its three-year stint as an internment camp for Italian POWs during World War II, the chapel stands today as a testament to the perseverance and faith of its creators. Nestled among the 40,351 acres that encompass Camp Atterbury in Indiana is a tiny chapel built in a meadow. This is no ordinary chapel, not because of anything strange or unusual, but because of who built it and how it was built. Camp Atterbury is a military complex used by the National Guard, 30 miles south of Indianapolis off U.S. Route 31 near Edinburgh. From 1943 …

Born and raised in the Chicago area, Christina Toniolo helped lead Team Italy to victory in the European championships. When Fra Noi last checked in with softball pitcher Christina Toniolo for the June 2024 issue, the Crystal Lake, Illinois, native reported that she’d been recruited to the Italian National Team and helped the squad earn third place at the Canada Cup International Softball Championship. In 2025, Toniolo suited back up for “Le Azzurre” and helped the team accomplish even more. Team Italy won the 2025 Women’s Softball European Championship Gold Medal, claiming the top prize in the 21-team tournament. Toniolo …

Born and raised in the Big Easy, Charles Marsala has helped transform the way the public views the city’s vibrant Sicilian past. From the time he spearheaded the recognition of Italian History Week when he was high school student council president, Charles Marsala has been steadfastly devoted to honoring the contributions of Italian immigrants in his native New Orleans and across Louisiana. Marsala has served as president of the American-Italian Federation for the Southeast since 2019, and established the Marsala Cultural Fund to support projects to memorialize local Italian American history in film, TV and historic markers. A businessman and …

For Tracey Tarantino, fashion is a constant, an integral part of daily life that naturally evolves with her activities and environment. “For me, fashion isn’t about adhering to ‘high’ fashion trends,” she explains. “It’s about expressing a personal, elevated and curated sense of form, fit and function that aligns with my lifestyle.” Tarantino is the founder and executive director of Zzazz Productions, a Chicago area company that produces fashion shows. The company produced the domestic traveling fashion show for United Health Care and the original live and video fashion shows for JourneyCare, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, Ingalls Hospital, Service …

Le Marche is a region in eastern Italy between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. In 1907, emigrants from the region who had settled in Chicago Heights after leaving their homeland for a chance at a better life in America founded an ethnic mutual aid society then called the Società di Mutuo Sorcorso Unione Marchegiana. While the group has evolved over the ensuing 118 years —including incorporating as a non-profit under the name of Marchegiana Society of Chicago Heights — it continues to thrive today. Ron Lucarini, who has served as the group’s president for the past 16 years, …

On Oct. 11, the Florentine Room in the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia was packed to capacity to hear Enrico Benedetti M.D., FACS give his first-ever public presentation about his work and life. The lecture was titled “Reflections of an Italian Medical Immigrant in the U.S.” and it was received with rapt attention. Dr. Benedetti grew up in the countryside near Gubbio, first studying at the University of Florence from 1979-85 graduating cum laude with his medical degree and then continuing his residency into 1989. He desired to practice medicine in the United States so he applied to 110 …