Chair of the Board, Executive Committee

Dr. Annelise Brody Morani

Annelise received her laurea in comparative literature at the university of Bologna with a thesis on Dante and the Rossetti family. She received also her MA and Ph.D in Italian literature from the JHU with a thesis on Virginity in Early Italian literature. She then went on teaching as a faculty member at various college institutions joining Washington University in Saint Louis in 2005 where she taught Italian language, literature and cinema at all levels. She also served as language coordinator until 2018. She developed and taught online language courses as a winner of a grant in language and technology research at her institution (2014) She became proficient in using both Blackboard and Canvas platforms.

Her main research interest is in Medieval Italian literature and in particular in literature and ethics. She published papers on Petrarch and Boccaccio, presented at numerous conferences.

Annelise is also a passionate yoga practitioner and a certified yoga instructor in Hatha yoga and ELDOA 1&2. She has been teaching yoga to dancers, children as well as seniors. Her focus is on improving mobility and spinal health.

Antonella Salvatore Pellegrino

Antonella Salvatore studied classics in Italy where she earned her university degree. “I attended specialized courses for teaching Italian to foreigners at the Universita’ Ca’ Foscari in Venice, the Universita’ per Stranieri in Perugia, and at George Mason University in VA. I have been teaching Italian here in the Washington area since 2005 in which time I have taught college courses at American University, adult courses for the Italian Cultural Society, and courses for native Italian-speaking children at the middle school level.” She adds, “I have a great passion for the Italian language and its literature deepened since my school days at the Orazio Flacco Classical high school. (Flacco is the poet who coined “Carpe diem” to mean “take heed!” or “seize the day!” and who was born not far from my home town in Basilicata.) “I love my work and the language of “that beautiful country where the use of “si” for yes resounds!” (Dante Alighieri, Inferno, Canto XXXIII). She lives in DC with her husband Roberto and her daughter Elena.

Camilla Presti-Russell

Born in Verona, Italy, Laurea in lettere, Università di Padova. Taught lettere in High School in Verona. Taught Italian at Boston University, at the Centro Internazionale di Studi, Verona, at the University of Maryland, College Park. Has been teaching for the Italian Cultural Society, Language Program since 2003.
Married with two grown children and six grand children.

Carlo Ellena

Carlo Ellena was born in the picturesque town of Savona, Liguria also known as the “Palm tree Riviera”. Interested in technological issues, he attended university in Pisa where he studied Artificial Intelligence and received his Masters in computer linguistics and expert systems. Mr. Ellena has been teaching for the Italian Cultural Society (ICS) since 2008. In 2013 Mr. Ellena joined the Subcomittee that regulates and runs the Italian Language School (ILP) at ICS. He is married to Varinia Daza and lives in Bethesda, Maryland. He is fluent in Italian, English and Spanish, and proficient in both French and Portuguese.

Caterina Vannucci

Caterina Vannucci is an Italian violinist with 20 years of experience in the repertoire of symphonic and chamber orchestras. After graduating in violin at the Pietro Mascagni Institute in Livorno, she made her debut in the Italian Youth Orchestra. She also played as a concertino violinist of the Florence Symphonietta, under the direction of Maestro Piero Bellugi.

Later she joined the Orchestra of the Puccini Festival in Lucca, specializing in opera repertoire. In 2013 she moved to the United States and played with the Takoma Ensemble Chamber Orchestra. She currently works with the choreographer Mimmo Miccolis and the Washington Ballet and she is part of the non-profit association at Musical Heart which deals with playing in hospitals for the terminally ill.

Claudio Tanca

Claudio Tanca was born in Rome, the Eternal City. He has spent more than half of his life abroad, in Belgium, France, and since 2011 in the United States of America. For more than two years Claudio has taught Italian to children at Language Stars in Alexandria and Gaithersburg. He is interested in communications, international relations, and international business and holds a Master Degree in International Business and Government Relations from Georgetown University, Washington, DC; a degree in Political Science from LUISS Guido Carli, Rome, Italy; and Certificat d’Études Politiques from Institut d’études politiques, Aix-en-Provence, France.

Claudio also works in communications and media relations for an international tobacco-control NGO, sometimes traveling to Latin America, Europe, and South Asia to teach activists how to fight multinational tobacco companies. He likes Italian cuisine – some people say he is a good cook – and Italian wine. He loves soccer and is a loyal supporter of AS Roma. He works and lives in Washington, DC.  He is fluent in Italian, English, and French and proficient in Spanish.

Claudio Pedone

Claudio was born and raised in Taranto, ‘’The City of the Two Seas’’, in the southern region of Puglia. Prior to receiving a Master’s degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures ( with concentration in Linguistics and Didactics ) in 2006, the year before , while preparing for his thesis defense,  he started his career as teacher of Arabic and English for the Italian Ministry of Interior. After several years in this role, he kept teaching for public and private schools and institutions before moving to Tuscany in the early 2000 where he decided to start teaching his beloved native language. To this end  he got a Ditals certification ( certification of competence to teach Italian as a second language) at the University of Siena. 

Before moving to the U.S. in 2016, while teaching in person he embarked on the experience of teaching Italian on online educational platforms ( at that time pretty new to the general public of language learners). It was a success as he was able to complete thousands of lessons and have hundreds of students all around the world.

Since then he has devoted his professional career to the Italian language and Culture. He currently resides in the Washington D.C. area and he has been working since 2017 as an Italian Language instructor at the Foreign Service Institute ( U.S. Department of State). He is passionate about movies (he likes to be called a ‘movie buff’), cooking  ( seafood and carbonara are his favorite food) , painting ( never tired to  paint the sea ) and martial arts ( he holds a 2nd Dan Aikido black belt and  holds an instructor diploma in this Japanese martial art). 

Cristiana Fabiani

Cristiana Fabiani was born and raised in Rome, Italy. Currently with over ten years teaching experience, Ms. Fabiani’s origins had her attend La Sapienza University in Rome, where she received both her Bachelors and her Masters degrees in International Studies. In 1992 Ms. Fabiani moved to the United States to work as a journalist for the Agence France Presse in Washington DC. She did this for ten years until she decided teaching was her true calling and in 2002 Ms. Fabiani switched careers to start teaching at the Italian Cultural Society’s language program. She has been with the institution ever since, helping to promote Italian culture through education. During this time Ms. Fabiani obtained her teacher certification in Italian from the state of Maryland, and from 2006 to 2011 also taught Italian at Tilden middle school in Rockville, MD. Aside from Italian she is fluent in English, French and Spanish. When not teaching Ms. Fabiani enjoys figure skating, cooking (Italian food) and writing. She currently resides in Maryland.

Workshop & Summer Camp Coordinator

Fiorenza Castelli

Born in Bergamo, I moved to Washington, D.C. in 2009. My primary focus has been raising my two children while curating activities that nourish their Italian roots and keep our heritage vibrant, so I have led the “Nati Per Leggere DC” hosting Italian read-aloud sessions for kids at public libraries throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia. My commitment to the Italian community extends to my work with locals Italian organizations where I organized numerous events centered on Italian traditions for kids and families. In 2017, I began collaborating with the Casa Italiana Language School and The Italian Cultural Society, teaching Italian to kids from 3 to 12 year old and organize kids summer camps. I’ve been nominated ICS Teacher of the Year on 2025.
Beyond my professional and community work, I enjoy reading books and I’m a frequent attendee of classical ballet, musicals, and opera performances. I approach life with a sunny, positive attitude, firmly believing that a smile often speaks louder than words.

Laura Loddo Moticka

Born in Venice so many years ago, I graduated from the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice with an M.A. in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures with a focus on teaching a foreign language. I have been teaching Italian since 2002 to students in high schools and adults. I also studied singing at the Conservatory.

I have an adolescent kid, whom I call “Il mio porcospino”. Together with him and my husband, I like to travel the world and especially explore Italy.

In my free time, I like to read historical novels and detective stories; I enjoy listening to music of all kinds and singing in choirs. I also love to bake and make jewelry using Murano glass and all sorts of stones. I must admit that I am also a workaholic who is always in the “I am a teacher and need to find materials and realia for my students” mode.

Nicoletta Nencioli Aiken

Born in the medieval town of Treviso in the Northeast of Italy, Nicoletta Nencioli Aiken is a journalist,author and teacher.  She comes from a long line of educators, professors and writers, her parents and grandparents have been linguistics and literature teachers.  Ms Nencioli Aiken remembers her earliest Italian-teaching experience – helping her mother review the students’ compositions.  A passion for the humanities brought her to study at the ‘Liceo Classico’ of Treviso, followed by the study of Law at the University of Rome, and Italian literature through ICON.

While in Rome, the call to write led her to pursue a career in journalism where she worked as a writer for the Italian public radio/television RAI and a reporter for several news and literary outlet.  Upon receiving her professional journalist credentials,  she moved to the US in 1992 where she worked for the Venice newspaper ‘Il Gazzettino’ until 2009.  She continues her journalistic work for the main Italian News Service (ANSA), reporting daily on wide range of topics.  Ms Nencioli Aiken in 2008  authored ‘Making out in Italian’  for Tuttle Publishing, a fun guide to the language of Italy as it is actually spoken. After tutoring in italian language and culture american friends and family, she now teaches italian at ICS. In her free time, she can be seen flying back and forth between Washington DC and Venice,bicycling  and speaking Italian to her American husband..

Silvana De Luca

Silvana was born in Acqui Terme, a small city in Piedmont, famous for its thermal bath since Roman times. In high school she went through the classical curriculum, but she chose a scientific career at the
University of Pavia. In the United States she worked as a biochemist at Tufts Medical School in Boston doing research on cartilage components, and continuing the same research at the National Institutes of Health. After almost 20 years as a scientist she changed career and became an instructor of Italian at the Foreign Service Institute, the language school of the Department of State, where currently she teaches American diplomats posted to Italy. After joining the Italian Cultural Society and serving in its Board of Directors, Silvana became involved with the Language Program at ICS for which she teaches a variety of courses. Silvana finds great satisfaction in her profession and loves to promote Italian language and culture. With her husband Luigi she instituted awards for young scholars in music, art and classical languages. Silvana has two children and three lovely grand-daughters with whom she shares the love for the wonderful country that is Italy.

Sofia Caligiuri

I am an Italian-Naturalized American artist who lives and works in the Metropolitan Area of Washington DC.

I was born in Calabria, Italy, and later moved to Rome where I studied as a painter at the Academy of Fine Arts under Alberto Ziveri.  My favorite teachers included Fiorella Diamantini and Arnoldo Ciarrocchi, an exquisite Master Etcher who also taught Maccari.  We used to have etching lessons on Saturday mornings, while eating pizza bianca sprinkled with oil and salt accompanied by a couple sips of wine.  In this way, students enjoyed both intellectual and physical nourishment. I remember that it felt like a mystical experience each time. I illustrated several journals in Italy. Published two books “Le Novellette” Artemide Edizioni, Roma Italy 2004 and “The Fief, a story of love and other virtues” Artemide Edizioni, 2002 Roma, Italy.

I have held exhibitions of my work in Italy and in the United States.My imagery emphasizes the idea that the impermanence of all phenomena underlies the search for the meaning of life. Therefore, I follow memories and thoughts as Traces that ultimately will bring me to find Evidences of how my life developed and what type of evolution I experienced.  In other terms, my work is a tool that I use to get to know myself better and especially to discover what kind of mission I have in this life and fully develop my own potential.

Dr. Valentina Asciutti

Valentina Asciutti was born in Pescara, the city of flamboyant Italian poet and writer Gabriele D’Annunzio, a lovely town on the Adriatic Coast, in the Abruzzo region. 

Valentina’s background is in Classics. She attended Liceo Classico in her hometown and proceeded to receive a BA in Classics at Università di Chieti. In 2003 she moved to the United Kingdom where she completed a Master of Arts in Classics at Durham University and then moved to London where she was awarded a PhD in Classics at King’s College London. After completing her PhD she embraced the new and cutting edge Digital Humanities field, learning how to best apply modern technologies, software tools and digital methods to the study of Humanities, in particular Latin, Classical Literature, History and Archaeology. She was a Research Associate at the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London for five years before moving to the US in 2015. 

She joined the Italian Cultural Society when she moved to Bethesda. She has  been contributing with the editing, writing and translating articles for the monthly newsletter Poche Parole and has been part of the instructors team for several years. Valentina has been tutoring children and adults in Latin and Ancient Greek since she was a high-school student herself and is very passionate about teaching and communicating with her students. At the ICS she has been teaching Italian grammar at different levels as well as special courses such as “Discover Abruzzo”. 

She loves traveling, reading, baking and street art among many other things.

Director of the ICS Music School

Diego Rodriguez

Director of the ICS Music School

Renowned for his classical music expertise, Diego Rodriguez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance from Conservatorio G. Frescobaldi di Ferrara (Italy), along with a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Bolzano and a Master’s in Music  Pedagogy from Conservatorio Monteverdi di Bolzano (Italy). Diego also experienced the teaching of Italian language at the Italian Cultural Institute of Bogotà.

Diego’s remarkable journey in music includes membership in Orquesta Nueva  Filarmonía (Colombia) where he secured a prestigious Latin Grammy Award in 2019  for Best Classical Album. With over 12 years of experience, Diego has shared his passion and knowledge as a dedicated violin and viola educator. His extensive  experience extends to captivating performances with distinguished European orchestras, including Opera In Stabile (Italy), Opera Prima (Austria), Orquesta Sinfónica de Bogotá (Colombia), Orchestra del Carmine (Italy), Orquesta Filarmónica  de Bogotá (Colombia) and Weltsaiten Sinfonietta (Switzerland). 

Dr. Samantha Mattocci

Originally from Reggio Calabria, Italy, Samantha Mattocci holds a Ph.D. in Italian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a M.A. in Italian Language and Literature and B.A. in Lettere from the University of Pisa. She has been teaching Italian for ten years and joined the Italian Cultural Society in 2022. At the ICS she teaches different levels of adult language classes.

Irene Sorensen

Irene Sorensen was born in Brescia, Italy, from Sicilian parents, and she belongs to both traditions, the North and the South of Italy. She attended a Liceo Classico in Brescia and received a Bachelor and Master degree from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in Milan. Irene taught Italian, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Ancient History for 7 years in  Italian Liceo and Italian language and culture for 17 years in an American private school in Kensington, MD. She is married and has 5 children. She currently lives in Rockville, Maryland. Irene enjoys cooking traditional Italian dishes, and she often invites classes to her home to learn the art of pasta making.

Veronica Brown

Dr. Cristina Loglio

Born in 1953, Cristina holds degrees at the Milan University and at the Piccolo Teatro Dramatic Art School in Milan. She’s an active promoter of European cultural policies, contributed to their creation at the European Parliament and to treasure them in Italy, as Advisor to the Minister of Culture, with tasks including Jury Member for the Italian Capital of Culture (2017-2022). As chair and member of Touring Club Italiano and of different European Think Tank for culture aiming to the European Cultural and Creative Sectors, she’s specially concerned with the local development based on cultural heritage. She’s invited as lecturer by academic and professional fora. She loves theater, art and education, with a civil spirit and managerial attitude. Based in Italy and in the USA, Cristina is a truly frequent flyer.

Mariangela Rodilosso

Mariangela Rodilosso was born in sunny and sultry Catania, Sicily. She earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages from the University of Catania. She is also a near-native speaker in French and English and is fluent in Spanish. Mariangela is a very passionate linguist with a contagious enthusiasm to teach her beloved language and culture through art, literature, poetry, cinema, theater, fashion, and gastronomy. Her students say that her lessons are very practical, easy to comprehend, and very fun. Mariangela infuses her lectures with her joyful and humorous personality to animate and encourage students to learn. She has taught the Italian language and culture in colleges and has collaborated with American and Italian universities for innovative and highly effective pedagogical methodologies of foreign languages. Moreover, she has taught all ages and at all different levels of Italian, French, and Spanish. Mariangela writes articles on Italian and French literature and art history for academic magazines. Additionally, she loves very much to cook, to travel, to dance, to decorate, and to communicate and connect with people.

Silvia Bonacina

Originally from Lecco, on Lake Como, I moved to the US in 2014 with my husband. We first lived in Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, and then we moved to Bethesda in 2020, where we are currently living with our three bilingual children. I graduated from the University of Sacred Heart of Milan with a Master’s degree in Developmental and Communication Psychology, with a thesis on reading difficulties in school-age children. The passion for children’s development, language development, and learning has driven my work experiences. As a researcher in the auditory neuroscience lab at Northwestern University, I’ve been investigating the connection between language/auditory processing and rhythmic ability across the life span. I’m also working on an Italian non-technical book chapter about my research. While in Evanston, I held Italian classes for adults, enjoying sharing the beauty of my mother tongue and country. At home I speak Italian with my children to keep strong and alive our connection to Italy.

Alessia Riccardi

Alessia Riccardi is from Naples (Napoli), the beating heart of Southern Italy, renowned for its amazing cuisine, stunning scenery, and the beautiful sounds of Italians speaking passionately. She studied Classics at the Liceo Classico, focusing on Latin, Greek, and of course, Italian, as well as History and Philosophy. She then earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Università Federico II in Naples and worked for IBM in Ireland for 20 years.

During this period, Alessia, driven by passion, also studied and mastered the art of teaching Italian at all levels, from beginners to advanced conversation. She taught both group classes and one-on-one lessons in various language schools and local community colleges in Dublin. She specialized in preparing students for the Italian language exams required by Irish secondary schools and university entrance exams.

Between 2020 and 2022, Alessia had the honor of assisting the Professor of Italian Studies at University College Dublin (UCD), where she prepared grammar and conversation classes for first- and second-year university students, in addition to tutoring and grading exams.

Alessia says, “I like to involve all students in every aspect of learning, and with enthusiasm, I offer tips that will facilitate their ability to learn and speak my beautiful language.”

She now lives in Washington, D.C., in a multilingual household with her Irish husband, their Italian-Irish son, and a bilingual dog!

Abigail Kifle

Hi! I was born and raised in the beautiful city of Asmara, Eritrea, a place often called “Little Rome” because of its rich Italian influence. Growing up, I was immersed in Italian culture, language, and cuisine, with Italian teachers shaping my education from kindergarten onward. That early exposure fostered a deep love for Italian culture, a passion that I now share with others through teaching.

Since graduating in 2021 from the Istituto Statale Italiano Omnicomprensivo Galileo Galilei, I’ve been teaching and loving every moment of it. My favorite part of teaching is working with children, especially the younger groups. I have a childlike spirit that helps me connect with kids naturally, and I genuinely enjoy every interaction with them. It’s not just about teaching—it’s about creating joy, building trust, and sharing moments of discovery. Their creativity, energy, and curiosity inspire me, and spending time with them is always the highlight of my week.

In addition to teaching, I speak four languages and work as a school interpreter while pursuing my political science degree online. Saturdays are my favorite days because they allow me to step back from the week and spend time with the kids—it’s a welcome, refreshing break filled with fun and laughter.

Having experienced both the hardships of growing up in a dictatorship and the freedom and opportunities of life in the United States, I am deeply motivated to work hard and pursue my dreams. My goal is to use my experiences, both the challenges and the privileges, to create meaningful change for others. I hope to one day help improve living conditions for my people in Eritrea and provide children there with the opportunities and resources I’ve been fortunate to access.

Giulia Schiavon

I was born and raised in Padova, a city in northern Italy in the Veneto region. Padova is home to the Scrovegni Chapel with the famous frescoes by Giotto, and also to one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe, where Galileo Galilei and Nicolaus Copernicus studied and taught.

I attended Liceo linguistico, where I studied English, French and Spanish and where my passion for foreign languages developed. Following that I graduated from the Università degli Studi di Padova, with a Bachelor in Mediazione Linguistica e Culturale, focusing on Portugues. As I have always been passionate about teaching, I have tutored children of all ages for years on different subjects, especially foreign languages. I enjoy teaching adults as well.

I met my husband in 2016 while he was in Italy and around 2018 I have moved to the United States to join him. We both now reside in Ashburn, VA. I am an artistic person and in my free time I love engaging in every kind of art and craft projects. I also love taking my dog Spritz on long walks. I named him after my favorite cocktail, which is very famous in my region and a symbol of the perfect happy hour.

Ornella d’Angelo

Antonella Minato Amelang

Melanie De Vincentiis

Gerardo Albanese

Robin Muilenburg

I was born and raised in Vicenza, a city in northern Italy in the Veneto region. Vicenza is famous for its architect, Andrea Palladio, who built wonderful Renaissance palaces seen around the area, and for being a Roman city in antiquity. I am bilingual and have dual citizenship, born to an Italian mother and an American father.

As a child, I attended an English international elementary school, which helped me develop both the Italian and English languages at the same time. I attended a Liceo Artistico (high school for the arts), having always been interested in art and creating new things with my hands. Although being fond of art, I pursued two years of study in Political Science, International Relations and Human Rights at the University of Padova, where I was also involved in student advocacy.

I moved to the NOVA area in 2019, where I continued my education and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at George Mason University. During the time I have lived here, I have discovered my passion for teaching, especially early childhood education, by working as a preschool teacher.

During my free time I enjoy creating, and have recently been enjoying working with lino cut. I also enjoy reading and researching history, especially Italian folklore, and watching archaeology documentaries. I live with my partner and cat in Fairfax, and I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Special Education.

I am looking forward to reconnecting with my roots, by teaching Italian courses to children and adults, and sharing the passion and culture of Italy!

Elena Griffin

She is also fluent in German, having lived in Munich for ten years, where she taught Italian privately to students and professionals. Her international background and passion for languages have allowed her to gain extensive experience in language instruction, cross-cultural communication, and professional training.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures, traditions, and languages. She also has a strong passion for art and for discovering food from around the world. She believes that cultural exchange and communication are essential for building understanding and meaningful connections between people from different backgrounds.

Patrizia Nave

I was born in Milan on October 12th. I hold a degree in Biology from the University of Milan and an MBA from Bocconi University. After working as a product and marketing manager for American multinational companies, I joined my family business to better balance my career and motherhood.

Around 2000, I turned my passion for creative arts and crafts into a professional career. I wrote several books for publishers such as Fabbri Editore and Demetra and contributed articles to Italian magazines, including Le idee di casa mia, Country Chic, and Decoupage. I have also taught crafts in Japan, the United States, and throughout Europe. Together with my dear friend Monica Resta, I managed Fabbri Editore’s online section dedicated to women’s hobbies and co-founded Clicco e creo, one of Italy’s first websites devoted to crafts.

Four years ago, I moved to the United States and settled in Herndon, where I collaborated with the local library by teaching a crochet course. I miss my beloved Italy, and I believe that teaching Italian is a wonderful way to share my love for my language, culture, and country.

Executive Director & CEO, Executive Committee

Francesca Casazza

Francesca Casazza was born in Genoa, Italy and holds a MA in Economics and Business Administration from Università di Genova. She has been the Director of the Italian Language Program for 4 years. Since September 2017, she also manages the cultural programs, the scholarship programs, communication, marketing and finance of the Society. She has worked in multinational enterprises in Spain, France and Italy for more than six years. Francesca speaks English, Spanish and French and has a basic knowledge of German as well. After her MBA, she has continued to educate herself in Italian language and culture with ICoN (Italian Culture on the Net), an online university program. She started her Italian teaching career in France and at University of Colorado in Boulder in 2003. Francesca has taught Italian in Spain, at the University of Maryland, at SAIS-Johns Hopkins University, at Montgomery College, at Casa Italiana Language School and in the Italian Language Program of the ICS. Francesca and her family live in Chevy Chase, MD.

Administrative & Office Manager

Lucy Fonseca

Lucy Fonseca is a married mother of two, born and raised in Toronto, Canada, of Portuguese immigrant parents. In Toronto she was surrounded by many Italian neighbors and friends. “I look forward to adding Italian to the languages I speak. I’m very happy to be working here, and with my past experience in administrative work I hope to provide outstanding customer service to the students in the Italian Language Program.”

Workshop & Summer Camp Coordinator

Fiorenza Castelli

Born in Bergamo, I moved to Washington, D.C. in 2009. My primary focus has been raising my two children while curating activities that nourish their Italian roots and keep our heritage vibrant, so I have led the “Nati Per Leggere DC” hosting Italian read-aloud sessions for kids at public libraries throughout DC, Maryland and Virginia. My commitment to the Italian community extends to my work with locals Italian organizations where I organized numerous events centered on Italian traditions for kids and families. In 2017, I began collaborating with the Casa Italiana Language School and The Italian Cultural Society, teaching Italian to kids from 3 to 12 year old and organize kids summer camps. I’ve been nominated ICS Teacher of the Year on 2025.
Beyond my professional and community work, I enjoy reading books and I’m a frequent attendee of classical ballet, musicals, and opera performances. I approach life with a sunny, positive attitude, firmly believing that a smile often speaks louder than words.

Director of the ICS Music School

Diego Rodriguez

Director of the ICS Music School

Renowned for his classical music expertise, Diego Rodriguez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance from Conservatorio G. Frescobaldi di Ferrara (Italy), along with a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Bolzano and a Master’s in Music  Pedagogy from Conservatorio Monteverdi di Bolzano (Italy). Diego also experienced the teaching of Italian language at the Italian Cultural Institute of Bogotà.

Diego’s remarkable journey in music includes membership in Orquesta Nueva  Filarmonía (Colombia) where he secured a prestigious Latin Grammy Award in 2019  for Best Classical Album. With over 12 years of experience, Diego has shared his passion and knowledge as a dedicated violin and viola educator. His extensive  experience extends to captivating performances with distinguished European orchestras, including Opera In Stabile (Italy), Opera Prima (Austria), Orquesta Sinfónica de Bogotá (Colombia), Orchestra del Carmine (Italy), Orquesta Filarmónica  de Bogotá (Colombia) and Weltsaiten Sinfonietta (Switzerland). 

Marketing & Events Manager

Mary Lambkin

Mary Lambkin is a Vienna, Virginia resident with Italian heritage on both her and her husband’s side. She and her three children are language course students at the ICS Fairfax locations. Mary has degrees in communications and Spanish from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining the ICS, she worked as a copywriter and digital marketing strategist for an advertising agency. She has traveled throughout Spain and Italy, enjoying the countries’ landscapes, culture, wine, and food.