I was born in Beckley, West Virginia, within view of Mabscott Hill, where the homes that my great-grandparents Luigi Ercole and Cesidia Salucci built. Not only did they build a house for themselves, but also for each of their six children. Five of those houses remain today, including Luigi and Cesidia’s, which we still call “The Big House.” The Big House was built at the very top of Mabscott Hill and served as a boarding house for Italian coal miners, many of whom were coming to America from my great-grandparents’ commune of Collelongo, located in the Province of L’Aquila in Abruzzo.  I grew up in the house that Luigi built for my Nonna Julia, and my sister still lives there today. 

My family was also one of the families to help found Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church, and later the Catholic School in Beckley.  Our church and school had many Italians when I was growing up (and two wonderful cafeteria cooks—Mrs. Interdonato and Mrs. DiLorenzo), so we were able to be raised in our Italian heritage.  Those early years in southern West Virginia shaped me to be proud of my Italian heritage and to ensure that I passed it along to my own daughter, Julia, and a host of nieces and nephews.  

I graduated from Marshall University with a zoology/pre-med degree and minors in chemistry, psychology, and classical studies (through which I became fluent in Latin and studied Roman mythology). For almost half my career, I worked for the U.S. federal government in my hometown of Beckley, managing the Analytical Chemistry Labs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2005, I moved to Raleigh for the second half of my science career, working at N.C. State University’s Department of Forest Biomaterials as an operations manager overseeing safety, facilities operations, emergency management, and research operations. I retired from there (and from a career in science) in 2023.

The arts were a very important part of family life with my Italian family members. I lived in an extended family with several professional musicians, studied dance at Beckley Dance Theatre under the incomparable Mr. Jerry Rose, and I performed with the Saint Francis choir.  In my “second life” I decided to return to what I most enjoyed during my childhood—being immersed in the arts. Currently I am the Public Relations/Social Media Manager for classical Spanish/flamenco guitarist Ed Stephenson, who performs in and produces classical Italian and Spanish concerts and the very popular “Eduardo de Rosamaria Spanish Guitar and Flamenco” concerts, featuring an international cast of guitarists, vocalists, and flamenco dancers.  Through this position, I have been very lucky to learn directly from the maestro how to promote concerts both in the U.S. and Canada.  I am very excited to have the opportunity to apply these skills to promoting our Italian culture through social media and in person!

 In my spare time, I serve as the President of the Marshall University Alumni Association Raleigh-Durham Chapter, am the outgoing Secretary of the Triangle Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge’s Executive Council, and study both Latin ballroom dance and country line dancing. I also enjoy attending concerts of nearly all genres, watching independent films, and making trips back to West Virginia to spend time with family.