Tonya Russo Hamilton is a teacher and author in the greater Portland area. Her first published work, ‘Wrestling with the Devil; A Story of Sacrifice, Survival, & Triumph, from the Hills of Naples to the Hall of Fame,’ is an inspirational memoir inspired by her father's journey from a small town in southern Italy to Brooklyn, New York and eventually Portland, Oregon. Her children's book titled, ‘Tino and the Pomodori’ is about a young boy who plants and harvests tomatoes with his grandfather in a small town just outside of Naples. It celebrates the wonders and beauty of Italian culture and the extraordinary bonds of family. 

Joanne Danna Schenk grew up in SE Portland in the same Italian neighborhood where her parents were raised.  Both parents are of Italian descent.  Her “Nannu” came over from Sicily(Trabia) when he was 11 years old.  Joanne had the privilege to visit his hometown and obtain marriage records of her great grandparents.  She was also able to visit the Catholic Church in Trabia where family marriages and baptisms would have taken place. Joanne retired in 2019 after 41 years as a dental hygienist. In her spare time she enjoys travel with her husband and friends (including 2 trips to Italy so far).  She also enjoys spending time with her kids and grandkids, the Oregon Coast, reading, gardening, and working out at the gym.  Joanne also enjoys baking “Nanna’s Best Biscotti.”  This is the biscotti recipe she learned from her Nanna and it has been lots of fun to share the biscotti that are made with love. Joanne is an active member of St Francis Catholic Church in Sherwood.

Josette (Santilli/Gallucci) Beach is the proud granddaughter of Italian immigrants who came to Oregon in the early 1900’s.  As a second generation American Italian, she takes pride in her familial roots of Calabria (Aprigliano) and Abruzzo (Succiano).  Growing up in SE Portland’s little Italy, she connected with the Italian culture through strong family ties and friend gatherings.  She and her cousins continue their love of the Italian food culture by sharing their  traditional family recipes together throughout the year.  She has recently written a family cookbook dedicated to the fourth generation of “littles” in the Santilli family with hope that the family recipes will carry on.  One of the highlights in her life was hosting an Italian exchange student for one year in her home in the Gladstone area and continuing to stay in touch with him and his family through numerous trips to Italy. Recently retired as the Director of the Dental Science Programs at Portland Community College, she now has more time to devote to learning more about the Italian culture, learning to speak the language and connecting with the surrounding Italian community. Spending time with her husband, two children and grandchild are her favorite things to do.

Jim (Amato) Draper is second generation Italian with grandparents coming from Termini Imerese, Sicily.  Jim lived in the house where his mom was born for his young life. The house being in the little Italy neighborhood of SE Portland.

He retired in 2015 and now enjoys traveling, gardening, golf and spending time with family and friends.  He also has the Italian tomato gene and grooms his tomatoes tenderly.

Joseph Briglio has worked in Community Development for nearly 20-years and won awards for his creative approach to civic engagement and public service. He has managed affordable housing programs, environmental sustainability initiatives, a high-tech business incubator, as well as served in several urban planning roles. He is second generation Italian with familial links to the mountain towns of Calabria and the rolling hills of Campania, near Napoli. In his own home, he is known for being an expert barista and connoisseur of espresso. In his spare time, Joseph enjoys traveling, learning Italian, and playing/watching calcio (soccer). Forza Azzurri! 

Anna Winthrop is a first-generation Italian American with familial ties to the Campania region. She grew up in New York City’s Greenwich Village and later in Boston’s North End, at a time when both neighborhoods were home to many Italian immigrants and Italian-run small businesses. She attended a dual-language program for native Italian speakers at East Boston High School. Anna got her professional start in New York City as a business journalist and has spent her entire career in communications. Today, she works as a freelance writer for various clients and in marketing and communications at CareOregon, a nonprofit health plan serving more than 500,000 Oregonians. She has called Portland home for more than a decade and continues to deepen her ties to its Italian American community. Anna and both her sons are proud to be dual Italian-American citizens. As often as possible, she travels to Italy to reconnect with the land of her ancestry and visit her parents, who retired to a small city near Naples area years ago.

Ryane currently works in Japan teaching English. Even from Japan she writes our conversation guides for our two Italian Conversation Groups.

She has a Master's degree in Language Teaching Studies from University of Oregon where she did research on designing a curriculum for medical professionals in the U.S. to learn Spanish online to better serve their Latine patients. 

Ryane has had a passion for languages and a particular love for Italian ever since she spent a few years in Vicenza as a child. She plans to continue to spread her passion for language learning by teaching English in Japan within the next year.