Bio
Born into an Italian immigrant family in Caracas, Venezuela, I attended parochial elementary and high school in a multiethnic neighborhood in northern New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York City. I majored in journalism and minored in Italian and Spanish at New York University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in three years. While employed full-time as an editor, I earned a master’s degree in Italian literature from Rutgers University and was inducted into Phi Sigma Iota, the foreign language honor society.
As senior editor at the award-winning Attenzione magazine, I put my fluency in Italian to good use in interviews with notable Italians, and wrote cover stories on celebrities, sports, food, and social issues. I’ve also held senior editorial positions at Prentice Hall, Business Week Careers magazine, Journal of Organizational Excellence, and Global Business and Organizational Excellence, and contributed to several editions of the Zagat New Jersey Restaurants guide and to Italian American Writers on New Jersey. Proficient in recasting technical jargon into reader-friendly text, I’ve improved the efficacy of written communications for individuals in business and academia, as well as for such organizations as The Rockefeller Group, Industrial Relations Counselors, Cushman & Wakefield, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
As a freelance writer, I’ve covered topics ranging from sports and entertainment to religion and cultural identity for The New York Times, the New York Daily News, and numerous consumer and trade magazines and digital media. Having developed an expertise in cooking and the farm-to-table movement, I wrote the weekly “In Season” column for the Savor food section of The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest daily newspaper, for 12 years. In 2010, I received a Distinguished Service Award from the Italian Trade Commission for enduring commitment and contribution to Italian food. I also co-authored The +10% Principle: How To Get Extraordinary Results From Ordinary People. My creative endeavors include poetry, children’s stories, full-length plays, and an audiovisual presentation on Sicilian folkloric art. I’m a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Dramatists Guild.
Tapping into my experience writing about such serious social issues as child endangerment and domestic violence for a national audience, I coordinated a pro-bono multimedia public-awareness campaign that led to unanimous passage of a state law and a groundbreaking university study on protecting young adults and senior citizens from exploitation. I also co-chair the Outreach Committee for the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking and serve on its Operating Council.
An avid traveler since childhood, I’ve toured Europe, the Caribbean, North America, and the former Soviet Union, and I look forward to learning more about this great big beautiful world and its fascinating people and their cultures. Back home with my husband in New Jersey, I enjoy cooking, gardening, and spending as much time as possible with my two wonderful sons and extended family.
MY WORK
Specialist in food and Italian culture | Editor for consumer and business media
