Board of Directors
Alessandro Mastrorocco, Board President
Alessandro is a native Italian, who came to the US from Milano in 2011. He has been a part of the Scuola since 2011 and brings his experience as both an educator and administrator. Alessandro believes that education is about building bridges, and he welcomes the sense of community that he experiences at the Scuola.
He has a master’s degree in political science from Milano State University where he served as a researcher, teaching Contemporary History and Political Parties History. He was on the editorial staff of the review Ventunesimo Secolo, a review focused on political transitions. Alessandro is a published author of history and served as consultant and editor of the Milano Contemporary History Museums. He organized several cultural events and exhibitions for the Milano Museum. Alessandro also has an MBA degree from Marylhurst University.
Currently, Alessandro works with the Early Learning Washington County team to ensure access to free and quality early childhood education services for low-income families in Washington County. He is responsible for the enrollment in the Preschool Promise Program in Washington County.
Alessandro and his family live in Aloha with their dog, Mina.
Mirella Rizzatti, Secretary
Mirella Rizzatti is a native of Italy and an Italian language expert. She studied Italian and Latin extensively at the university level in Triest, Italy. She has been working as an Italian/English translator with the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, CA for many years. She also works regularly with the Honorary Consul of Italy in Portland, OR.
Mirella founded Italian One-on-One in 1991, a tutoring and translation business, and since then has taught Italian at Portland State University, Portland Community College, Mount Hood Community College, at several private schools of foreign language (such as Passport to Languages), and privately to hundreds of individual students.
Mirella enjoys spending her spare time volunteering at her church and is very active in the Mass, acting as Sacristan, Eucharistic Minister and Usher. She enjoys traveling with her family, being with her many friends, and taking care of her four cats.
Joe Cavalli, Director
After spending 4 years in the US Army, Joe Cavalli studied History in graduate school at the University of Portland.
For 10 years he taught internationally in Zagreb, Rome, Florence, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Currently he teaches US, World and Pacific Northwest History at Clark College in Vancouver.
He’s also the Program Director for the Model United Nations.
Melissa Egizio Slechta, Director
Melissa grew up in a very strong Italian-American community outside of Chicago and spent many summers visiting her grandparents and other family in Caramonico Terme, Abruzzo. She was the first recipient of the Italian-American Cultural Society college scholarship and went on to study Political Science and Italian Studies at the University of Illinois, including a year at the Universita di Bologna. Melissa continued her education with a graduate degree in Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois and has worked in the Human Resources field for the last 15 years, always with a passion for organizational development and employee relations.
Melissa moved to the Portland area in 2013 and was pleased to find a playgroup and preschool offering focused on Italian language and culture. Her son is currently enrolled in the Scuola preschool program and will be transitioning to the afterschool/weekend program soon. She recognizes the great benefit of language immersion programs and wants to give her children a strong foundation in language learning. She also wants to be part of strengthening and growing Scuola Italiana di Portland for future generations.
Cinzia Corio-Holman, Director
Cinzia Corio-Holman works at the Port of Portland, where she administers contracts for aviation properties, including the award‑winning Portland International Airport.
A native of Italy, Cinzia moved to Portland, Oregon, from Milan, Italy, subsequently acquiring dual citizenship Italian‑US.
Cinzia is deeply involved with the Italian community in Portland. In addition to serving on the Board of the Scuola Italiana, she is the Secretary and Treasurer of the Associazione Culturale Italiana di Portland, whose main focus is hosting an annual festival of Italian film and promoting Italian culture. Cinzia also served as a Director of the Portland'5 Center for the Arts Foundation.
A graduate of the University of Milan, Cinzia holds a Master's Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures with a focus on English and Russian Studies. She also recently obtained an Executive MBA. She enjoys reading, music, cooking, traveling, theater, and keeping current on all things Italian. She is married to Mark and has two children, Marco and Maya. The household is fully bilingual and binational.
Daniele Piacentini, Treasurer
Ciao a tutti! Daniele was born and raised in Rome, the Eternal City, where he lived until 2015 before moving to Portland, Oregon. Daniele has a Master’s Degree in Business from University of People, Pasadena, CA. He is a diligent professional with extensive experience spearheading various strategic operations as well as managerial and organizational responsibilities with a focus on Operations and Information Technology.Daniele enjoy cultural events, travelling, music, art, social drinking, food, hiking and football (soccer). He is a dual citizen, Italian and American, and he is eager to help Scuola Italiana of Portland grow and become one of the reference points for the Italian community in Portland and the metro area.
Jennifer Trotti O’Brien, Director
Jennifer is a cofounder of a real estate investment/development firm in Portland, Oregon. Additionally she works in tour management for many European travel tours. Her expertise in sales, marketing and fundraising and her interest in all things Italian and her own Italian heritage is a good fit for her role with Scuola Italiano. Jennifer speaks English and Spanish.
Jennifer has also been active on volunteer boards with Ainsworth Foundation, Ainsworth Site council, Cedarwood Parent Council & Central Catholic RAMS program advisory.
Grazia Solazzi, President Emeritus
As one of the founding members of Scuola Italiana di Portland, Board President Grazia Solazzi knows full well the challenges that come with establishing and operating a language school, but her passion and commitment to her own children, as well as her desire to make Italian language available to all children in the Portland metro area, keep her the driving force behind Scuola Italiana.
When Grazia first came to the US, she had no plans of opening a school. In fact, it wasn’t until her oldest child began to read and write in English that she recognized the importance of a formal Italian education. With no programs available, Grazia garnered the support of other like-minded parents in the community and began the process of establishing an Italian language and culture school. In 2006, La Scuola Italiana di Portland officially became the first and only Italian language school for children in the greater Portland area.
In addition to her duties as board president, Grazia is a busy mother of three, an up-and-coming entrepreneur, and a food critic. She is actively involved in the local Italian community and is a member of Comitato Uniti Italiano (United Italian Committee), the committee which oversees and coordinates all of the community’s Italian organization’s activities.
Born in Sarzana, a small town in the Province of La Spezia in northern Italy, her favorite childhood memories are those of holidays spent with her mother and father in the small seaside towns of Lerici and Peschici and the wonderful family meals they shared together. Both her mother and grandmother were excellent cooks, and she spent countless hours in the kitchen preparing large family meals with them. It’s these fond memories that led her to become a professional food critic and journalist.
Besides her passion for her family and food, she loves traveling and experiencing new cultures. Her favorite trip was to Yemen where it felt like traveling back a couple of centuries, with some strange, striking contrasts of modern inventions; absolutely fascinating.
Grazia earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Parma and her master’s degree in Journalism at Catholic University in Milan.