New York Annual Gala 2022 Event Journal

NEW YORK ANNUAL GALA Event Journal

September 28, 2022

77th New York Annual Gala

Celebrating esteemed honorees

Debra Stabile

Managing Director/Chief Risk Officer for Legacy Franchises Risk, Citigroup

Basil M. Russo

President, Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations

Cesar Claro

Executive Director, Richmond County Savings Foundation

Suzan Kereere Head of Global Business Solutions, Fiserv

His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State of the Holy See Accepting on behalf of the Holy See

About Us

The end of the Second World War in Italy left hundreds of thousands of orphans and vulnerable children on the streets. In 1945, our founder, Monsignor John Patrick Carroll-Abbing, had the visionary idea to create youth-centered, selfgoverned communities in Rome and Civitavecchia for these young people – Boys’ and Girls’ Towns of Italy – to provide “ a chance in life” to them. He believed that if young people were supported to take responsibility for their lives and their communities, they would grow into caring, self-sufficient adults. Selfgovernment has been the central focus of our programs.

Over time, we realized that we could serve even greater numbers of vulnerable children by exporting our model of programming, creating safe havens around the world. In 2015, we opened our first program outside of Italy, in Ethiopia, and rebranded our organization as A Chance In Life to reflect our multinational approach. Since then, our organization has established villages of children around the world who learn invaluable life skills and develop a sense of responsibility for themselves and their peers with the support of adult educators, health professionals, psychologists and mentors. In Italy, Ethiopia, India, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Uganda, Palestine, and the United States, we have changed the lives of more than 40,000 children and their communities.

Through each of our programs, A Chance In Life is addressing complex global challenges outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - issues like educational access, clean water and sanitation, good health and well-being, gender equality, economic opportunity, and quality nutrition. Through our work with children, families and communities around the world, we are are honored to advance the legacy of our founder while advancing these global goals.

Message from the President

Buona sera and benvenuti! It is a privilege as always to be joined by such a prestigious group for our New York Annual Gala! We are particularly honored this year to be joined by our most esteemed guests from the Holy See, who are here to represent not only the origins of our organization, but our continued shared work to uplift the lives of marginalized children and families around the world.

We are proud to be able to showcase our programs this evening through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This framework, established in 2015, set forth 17 key areas of intervention for the international community to address. Through our programs around the world, we are addressing these complex global challenges like educational access, good health and well-being, gender equality, quality nutrition, economic opportunity, and more. And we continue to advance the model of positive youth development first established by our founder more than 77 years ago. Not bad for a full time staff of eight!

Truly, this work would not be possible without the incredible advocacy, support, and pioneering leadership of those gathered here tonight. Our honorees represent some of the most pivotal figures in our ability to do this life-changing work: Cesar Claro has been a staunch supporter and terrific connector as we ' ve brought The Village on Staten Island to life; Suzan Kereere is just the latest in a long and very generous line of supporters from Fiserv; Basil M. Russo works tirelessly on behalf of the Italian American community and has been essential in amplifying our voice among a key constituency to garner support; Debra Stabile is a long-time supporter who has championed A Chance In Life with Citigroup and volunteers her time with us; and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who will accept the Peacebuilder Award on behalf of the Holy See, is a model for giving a chance to those whom others have forgotten. I am so proud to recognize these deserving individuals, and invite you to raise a glass in celebration with me!

Gabriele Delmonaco President/Executive Director

2022 Honoree

Debra Stabile Managing Director/Chief Risk Officer for

Legacy Franchises Risk, Citigroup

Debra Stabile has been with Citi for 17 years and is a key member of both Citi’s Risk Management Executive Team and the Legacy Franchises Leadership team. As Head of Risk for Legacy Franchises, Debra serves as a strong independent partner of the business to actively manage market, credit, and operational risk in a manner consistent with Citi's risk appetite. Her responsibilities include the oversight of the divestitures of a number of Asia & Mexico markets as well as providing enterprise-wide risk management and risk governance oversight for the retail unsecured and digital lending businesses. These businesses cover 17 countries representing more than $250B in assets and are comprised of credit cards, revolving loans, personal installment loans, and overdraft products as well as retail digital credit initiatives.

Prior to her current responsibilities, Debra was the Chief Risk Officer for Citi Retail Services. Before joining Citi, she spent three years with Dun & Bradstreet where she established and led the Global Decisions Sciences group. She previously worked at American Express holding several senior risk management roles for the consumer and commercial businesses, before becoming Chief Credit Officer of its Consumer Charge Card business and head of the Underwriting Committee for North America Cards.

Debra earned a graduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

2022 Honoree

Basil M. Russo President, The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO)

Basil M Russo was elected president of The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) in NYC in 2020, and he was reelected in 2022 In his capacity as president, he serves as national spokesperson for 58 of the largest and most influential cultural, charitable, fraternal, educational, and anti-defamation Italian American organizations in the United States. During his tenure as president, he initiated 3 national Italian American summit meetings that created a heretofore absent spirit of national unity among the 400 participating organizations. Those meetings resulted in the creation of 6 national committees to address issues of mutual concern to all Italian Americans.

He next initiated a precedent-setting reception for Italian American leaders with the Italian ambassador in Washington, D C to establish meaningful ties between Italian Americans and the Italian government And, he recently led a delegation of Italian American leaders to Rome to meet with prominent leaders at the highest levels of the Italian government, and the Vatican, in order to further solidify the historical bond between Italian Americans, their Church, and their ancestral homeland The trip concluded with an audience with his Holiness, Pope Francis

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Basil was the founding and managing partner of the law firm Russo, Rosalina & Co until his retirement in 2014 He served as judge of the Ohio Court of Appeals, judge of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court (for which he received an Excellent Judicial Service Award from the Ohio Supreme Court) and majority leader of the Cleveland City Council

Basil also serves as national president of both the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), and its affiliate, ISDA Financial Life. As ISDA president he developed the largest Italian American social media platform in the country (OrderISDA.org), which currently has over 725,000 followers. And, as the ISDA Financial Life president, he directs the largest Italian American insurance, IRA, and annuity company in the country with over $325 million in assets. Additionally, from 2016 to 2021, he served on the executive committee of the National Italian American Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Basil has chosen to devote much of his life to preserving and promoting his heritage through various Italian American organizations and causes, stating, “ my primary motivation is to pay respect and honor to the memory of my parents and grandparents who are no longer with me ”

In addition to the leadership positions specified above, he became the driving force behind the Bishop Anthony Pilla Italian American Studies Program at his alma mater, John Carroll University He has spent 25 years serving as president of the Justinian Forum, an Italian American bar association representing attorneys and judges of Italian American descent He is one of the founding members and current chairman of the Cleveland Italian Film Festival and has served as chairman of the Greater Cleveland Columbus Day Parade since 2004. Basil was also a founding member and officer of the NOIA Foundation, an Italian American organization that has raised more than $4 million for charitable purposes.

Together with his wife, Patricia (Gallupoli), Basil has immersed himself in his family and faith. Among other important undertakings, he and Patricia have served as chairpersons of the advisory committee to the Department of Marriage and Family Ministry of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese They also served as co-chairs of their diocese’s Pre Cana program for 15 years

They are the proud parents of four children: Their daughter Gabriella is an attorney and the managing partner of Russo, Rosalina & Co Their daughter Angela is President of Creative at AGBO Studios in Hollywood, who has taught at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art And their two sons, Anthony and Joseph, are successful directors, writers and producers of film and television, who hold the distinction of having directed the highest-grossing film in box office history, Avengers: Endgame

Basil and Patricia happily spend all their free time with their 13 beautiful grandchildren

2022 Honoree

Cesar Claro

Executive Director, Richmond County Savings Foundation

Cesar J. Claro has over thirty years experience working in economic development, urban planning and philanthropy. He has managed two significant organizations, multi-milliondollar budgets and dozens of projects that enhanced the communities he served.

He currently serves as Executive Director of the Richmond County Savings Foundation (RCSF) and he is the founder of Claro Ventures, a full-service Business Solutions operation.

As Executive Director of RCSF, Cesar is a philanthropic leader managing an $80 million endowment created by Richmond County Savings Bank. RCSF has awarded $70 million in grants to over 1,000 not for profits in New York and New Jersey.

Claro Ventures is a full service urban planning firm that provides business solutions to companies.

Cesar was President & CEO of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) for three decades. During his tenure he secured millions of dollars in grants, created three Business Improvement Districts (BIDS), launched dozens of major conferences, festivals & networking events and he envisioned & crafted strategy for long term public/private initiatives including the West Shore Light Rail, the Staten Island Gondola, and the Staten Island Skyway.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Cesar graduated from St. John's University, with a degree in Communication Arts. He served on Mayor Bloomberg's transition team and the NYS Regional Council. He currently serves on the New Jersey Board of the Regional Planning Association (RPA).

A die-hard Mets fan, Cesar and his sons travel to different cities every year to root for the Orange & Blue! He is an avid golfer and tennis player.

2022 Honoree

Suzan Kereere Head of Global Business Solutions, Fiserv

Suzan Kereere is Head of Global Business Solutions at Fiserv, Inc., overseeing the company’s merchant-focused offerings, including the Clover® business management platform and Carat™ enterprise omnichannel commerce platform. Kereere leverages her extensive experience leading payments and technology businesses to deliver excellence for clients ranging from small and mid-sized companies to global enterprises.

Most recently, Kereere served as Chief Growth Officer at Fiserv, leading enterprise strategy and business development initiatives to enhance client value and accelerate growth.

An experienced business executive with expertise in leading payments and technology platform businesses at Fortune 100 companies across global business lines and regional high growth start-ups, Kereere is well-recognized for her accomplishments in digital transformation, sales optimization, front-line customer engagement, and inclusive growth.

Prior to Fiserv, Kereere led a multi-billion-dollar business and global team as Global Head of Merchant Sales & Acquiring at Visa. Her background also includes leadership roles at American Express, including Head of US National Merchant Business and Head of Global Network Business.

Kereere is a champion for, and sought-after authority on, equity in the corporate space, and has driven leading-edge work to bring analytics to the forefront in the discussion on race and inclusion.

Suzan serves as a member of the 3M Board of Directors and as a non-executive Director on the Board of Grange Insurance Company, having previously served on the Boards of the National Retail Federation Foundation, the US Travel Association, the American Red Cross (NY Chapter) and the Zawadi Africa Educational Fund.

She holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University.

2022 Peacebuilder Award

His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State, the Holy See

Cardinal Pietro Parolin was born in Schiavon, Italy, on 17 January 1955. At the age of 14 he entered the seminary of Vicenza and was ordained a priest on 27 April 1980

In 1983 he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 July 1986, subsequently serving in Nigeria and Mexico In 1986 he also obtained a degree in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Since 2000 he has worked with the then Bishop Attilio Nicora on the matters pertaining to the implementation of the revision of the Lateran Concordat of 1984, with particular reference to the military ordinariate. On 30 November 2002 he was appointed Undersecretary of the Section of the Secretariat of State for Relations with States.

Particularly expert in matters concerning the Middle East, and more generally in those regarding the geo-political situation of the Asian continent, he has worked specifically to build up and reinforce relations between the Holy See and Vietnam. He also contributed to reopening dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, convinced of the need for a shared effort to “create the conditions for a true and just peace” in the Middle East In December 2008 he led the delegation that took part in the work of the Permanent Bilateral Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel. On several occasions he has acted as spokesman for the Apostolic See expressing its wish to work with international organizations to safeguard the basic rights of the person, including religious freedom.

On 17 August 2009 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela and was elevated to dignity of Archbishop with the titular Episcopal See of Acquapendente. He received his episcopal ordination on 12 September 2009.

On 31 August 2013 Pope Francis appointed him Secretary of State and he entered into office on 15 October.

Member of the Council of cardinals established to advise Pope Francis in the government of the universal Church and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia,‘Pastor Bonus’

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 22 February 2014, of the Title of Santi Simone e Giuda Taddeo a Torre Angela (Sts Simon and Jude Thaddeus at Torre Angela)

On 26 June 2018, with Rescriptum ex Audentia Ss.mi, the Holy Father Francis decided to co-opt Cardinal Pietro Parolin in the Order of Bishops, equating him in all respects to the Cardinals who were given the Title of a suburbicarian Church.

Member of:

Dicasteries: for the Doctrine of the Faith; for the Oriental Churches; for the Evangelization; for Bishops; for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Program

Welcome Remarks

Gabriele Delmonaco, President/Executive Director

Claire Gallagher, Vice President, Development

Presentation of Awards

Debra Stabile

Basil Russo

Call to Action

Claire Galagher, Vice President, Development & Communications

Dinner

Presentation of Awards

Cesar Claro

Suzan Kereere

His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on behalf of the Holy See

Closing Remarks

Gabriele Delmonaco, President/Executive Director

With special remarks from His Excellency,The Most Reverend Gabriele Caccia

Thank you to the following people who so generously gave their time to help make this evening a success:

Guy Chiarello, Anna Krauze, Giampietro Lepore, Tomasz Mikluch, Raffaello

Siniscalco and all of tonight's volunteers

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

Special Thanks to Our Supporters

Our Team Board of Directors

Robert Iommazzo

Chairman

Managing Partner, SEBA International

Mauro C. Romita Vice Chair

Stephen Bellini Treasurer

President, Broken Shed Vodka, LLC

Jeanine T. Margiano Secretary

Partner, Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP

Gabriele Delmonaco

President/Executive Director, A Chance In Life

Kate Bullis

Managing Partner, SEBA International

Eugene B. Ceccotti President and CEO, Shamrock Materials

Guy Chiarello Chief Operating Officer, Fiserv, Inc.

Phil Guarnieri

Chief Executive Officer, Empire State Bank

Emilie Puzio

Realtor Associate, D’Amico & McConnell

Realtors – Spring Lake, NJ

Srii Srinivasan Chief Executive, Chargeback Gurus

Tim Tynan

Former CEO, Bank of America Merchanr Services

Roy Van Pelt Consultant, Lathrop Construction

H. E. Card. Giuseppe Versaldi Prefect Congr. Catholic Education (Honorary Member)

Staff

Gabriele Delmonaco President/Executive Director

Claire W. Gallagher Vice President, Development

Elser Llanos Vice President, Programs

Jaqueline Arenales Executive Assistant and Program Coordinator

Clara Chahwan Director of Operations

Rianna Daniels Communications and Development Manager

Herman Hochberg

Lawrence Nibbi

CEO, Nibbi Brothers General Contractors

Gabriele Pera Piscopo

Loziana Vejuka Office Manager

Caroline Ziccardi Director, Donor Relations

Are you looking to support A Chance In Life even further, while potentially reducing your future tax burden in the process? Join your fellow community members and consider donating from your IRA!

Donors that are 70.5 or older can give from their IRA to support vulnerable youth today, while fulfilling a Required Minimum Distribution for 2022, if you’re required to take one.

Get started today and learn about the benefits of giving from your IRA at FreeWill.com/QCD/ACIL, or scan the QR code.

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