March 27, 2013

Opening Remarks
9 am to 10 am

Welcome:
Louis Gesualdi, Ph.D.
Program Chair
St. John's University

Conference Chair

Opening Remarks

Hon. James Gennaro
Chairman, Italian American Caucus of the New York City Council

Keynote Speaker

Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D.
President, Italian American Legal Defense and Higher Education Fund

Also remarks from

Philip Foglia, Esq.
Special Deputy, Inspector General Office State of New York, Chief of Investigation

Session 1: A History of Italian Americans and Discrimination
10:00 am to 10:55 am

Moderator: Vito DeSimone, Ph.D.

Francis Elmi, Ph.D.
Borough of Manhattan Community College

"The Invisible Minority: A History of Italian American Discrimination"

Session 2: Italian Americans and Discrimination in Higher Education Today
11:00 to 12:15 pm

Moderator: Mario Caruso,
Italian American Faculty and Staff Advisory Council
The City University of New York

Vincenzo Milione, Ph.D.
Director Demographic Studies, The John D. Calandra, Italian American Institute, Queens College, The City University of New York

"Italian American Workforce and Labor Pool Changes"

Sybil Randolph
Consultant,
Berksire Associates, Inc

"Demographic trends for affirmative action"

Lunch
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

Greetings

Julian R. Williams, Esq.
Representative, American Association for Affirmative Action
Director
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
Vassar College

Award Presentation by an Italian American Organization

Award presented to Peter Cardella
Founder of The Peter Cardella Senior Citizen Center

Session 3: Legal Aspects and Individual Impact
1:45pm – 2:45pm

Moderator: Michael Marinaccio, Esq.
President of the Bronx County Bar Association

Victor Rodriguez
Director of Regional Operations for the Office of Federal Contact Compliance Program Northeast Region

"Civil Rights and Enforcement of Affirmative Action Procedures"

Michael Grenet, Esq.
Liddle and Robinson, L.L.P.,

Steven Warshawsky, Esq.
The Warshawsky Law Firm

Claudio DeBellis, Esq.
Walsh Markus McDougal & DeBellis, LLP

"Civil Rights Litigation and Affirmative Action for Italian Americans"

Session 4: Italian Americans and Discrimination in the Future
2:45 -3:45

Moderator: Fred Gardaphe, Ph.D.,
Distinguished Professor Italian American Studies,
The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute,
Queens College, The City University of New York

Louis Gesualdi, Ph.D.
St. John's University

"Intellectual Manipulation Discrimination of Italian Americans"

Vita Tauss
Former Vice President of Queensborough Community College and Member Expert Panel Examining CUNY's Utilization Analysis for Italian Americans

"Expert Panel Review of CUNY's Affirmative Action Program for Italian Americans"

Closing Remarks and Discussion
4:00- 4:45

Rick Annichirrico,
Chairman, NY State Commission for Social Justice, Order Sons of Italy in America

Andre DeMino,
President, Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition

Louis Gesualdi, Ph.D.
St. John's University