Board of directors
Ciao! 👋 🇮🇹 Get to know our Board of Directors at Italian Portland!
You can email them directly via their email addresses below, or email us with general questions at: italianportland.info@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Christina Cavallaro Edick, President - italianportland.christina@gmail.com
Christina Cavallaro Edick is a proud Italian American from sunny Los Angeles, California. Her family hails from Adelfia, in Bari, Italy, and Cesaro, Messina province, Sicily. Christina was a key member of Italian Portland, where she had been involved in various roles on the board for many years. Returning to the Italian Portland Board feels like coming home to her beloved Italian community.
Christina's love for food runs deep, thanks to her upbringing in a traditional Italian American household. As an adult, she channeled that passion into writing cookbooks. Her series, From Vine to Table, includes titles like The Unexpected Joy of Zucchini’s Magic and Everything Tomatoes, the Fruit of Love. When she's not cooking up a storm or buried in cookbooks, Christina loves to travel, with Italy being her favorite destination.
Tonya Russo Hamilton, Secretary - italianportland.tonya@gmail.com
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. Tonya's family hails from from a small town north of Naples, and many of them still live there today. One of her favorite moments while traveling in Italy was watching the sun set behind Mt. Vesuvius. It was truly a spectacular sight and everyone in attendance started cheering as the sun disappeared behind the magnificent volcano.
Joanne Danna Schenk, Merchandise Coordinator
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 Beach, Book Club Facilitator
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 Draper, Treasurer
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, Development & Outreach - italianportland.joseph@gmail.com
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, Board Member
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 the Naples area years ago.
Doris Onnis, Board Member
Doris Onnis is I.B.M. (Italian By Marriage). Her husband, Roberto was born in Furtei, Sardinia a small village in the south-central area of the island. His family still lives there. They have spent years traveling to Sardinia and their four children were gifted the opportunity to learn about family, foods, traditions, and languages specific to this beautiful part of the world. Doris retired from her Nursing career in 2022 and loves spending time with family, volunteering, and sewing.
Joining Italian Portland has sparked her determination to speak Italian. Roberto and Doris are preparing for another adventure on the Camino di Santiago in Spain and more time in Italy.