L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS PEOPLE W h a t a r e COM.IT. E S a n d what role d o t h e y p l a y f o r I t a l i a n s r e s i d i n g a b r o a d ? I n g e n e r a l , C O M . I T . E S a r e i n s t i t u t e s t h a t r e p r e s e n t t h e I t a l i a n community. They were estab- lished in 1985 and are elected i n e a c h c o n s u l a r d i s t r i c t every five years by Italians residing abroad. As representative bodies, the objective of COM.ITES is to facilitate relations between Italians abroad and consular a u t h o r i t i e s , a s w e l l a s t o organize activities aimed at defining the social, cultural and civil needs of the com- munity. There are about 100 COM.IT.ES in the world, 10 of which are in the USA (New York NY, Los Angeles CA, B o s t o n M A , D e t r o i t M I , Washington DC, Chicago IL, Miami FL, Philadelphia PA, San Francisco CA, Houston T X ) . E v e r y w h e r e i n t h e w o r l d , e l e c t i o n s f o r t h e renewal of COM.IT.ES are h e l d i n c o n s u l a r d i s t r i c t s w h e r e t h e r e a r e a t l e a s t 3,000 members of AIRE (the Registry of Italians residing abroad). W e o f L ' I t a l o - A m e r i - cano interviewed Davide Accomazzo, president of the 12-member council elect- ed in December 2021, to ask him about the objectives and events of COM.IT.ES in Los Angeles - founded on Febru- ary 13, 1987- which also rep- resents Arizona, New Mexi- c o , N e v a d a a n d S o u t h e r n California. Accomazzo, who has lived in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, is originally from G e n o a , t h e b i r t h p l a c e o f Christopher Columbus and merchant banking. Accomaz- zo is Chief Investment Officer o f T H A L A S S A C A P I T A L , Registered Investment Advi- sor and Family Office, and Professor of Finance at Pep- perdine University, at the Graziadio School of Business and Management. He is also t h e a u t h o r o f t h e M a r k e t Faith investment manual and co-author of the book Alternative Investments. In addition to being a point of reference for the Italian community a n d i t s r e l a t i o n s w i t h the consulate, the Ital- i a n C u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e a n d t h e I t a l i a n T r a d e Commission, what else c a n b e s a i d a b o u t t h e nature of COM.IT.ES? COM.IT.ES are institu- tions used to give voice to the needs of Italian citizens residing abroad. They work in close collaboration with consular offices, and they have the task of identifying the various social, cultural and civil needs of the Italian community. They are made u p o f 1 2 o r 1 8 m e m b e r s , depending on the number of I t a l i a n s r e s i d i n g i n e a c h c o n s u l a r d i s t r i c t , a n d r e m a i n i n o f f i c e f o r f i v e years. B e y o n d t h e i n t e r a c - tion with local institu- t i o n s , w h a t o t h e r aspects do COM.IT.ES focus on and what are you in charge of specifi- cally? COM.IT.ES. also have the duty to promote any initia- tive aimed at enhancing Ital- ian products in every field: from cultural to commercial. They are also involved in helping Italian immigrants in need of assistance and care, starting with the elder- ly. For all these activities, COM.IT.ES. must not (nor can by law) replace the vari- ous existing organizations, b u t t h e y c o o p e r a t e w i t h them. In fact, COM.IT.ES offer information services for the Italian community and for all those who need them, whether they are first- generation Italian migrants or first, second, and third- generation Italian-Ameri- cans). A n d o n a c u l t u r a l level? On a cultural level, the main mission of COM.IT.ES is the teaching and promo- tion of our language, from kindergarten to university. Each year, COM.IT.ES have the task of providing a bind- ing opinion on the allocation of government funding to Italian schools. What struck you the most, during your first y e a r a s a C O M . I T . E S member? The need for a big change and a breath of fresh air. T h e p r e v i o u s C O M . I T . E S failed to be efficient and dis- solved before the end of its term. There was the necessi- ty to rebuild from the ashes of what came before, start- ing from our website and social media... even our e- m a i l i n g l i s t n e e d e d t o b e done again. During the elec- tion campaign, we realized that many people have an interest in interacting with us but that, often, many oth- e r s a r e n o t a w a r e o f o u r e x i s t e n c e . S o w e c r e a t e d small events to make our- selves known, to make our mission understood and to become part of the commu- nity. The event organized in L a g u n a H i l l s o n S u n d a y , October 9th, for example, had the goal of introducing o u r s e l v e s t o t h e O r a n g e County area, outside of the c i t y o f L o s A n g e l e s . T h e event had a full program of a c t i v i t i e s , w i t h s p o n s o r s s u c h a s l o c a l r e s t a u r a n t s donating their specialties. We also had three wineries that offered wine tastings. All, of course, with the par- t i c i p a t i o n o f V i c e C o n s u l Pietro Bellinghieri, whom many Italians in the area had not had the opportunity to meet in person, yet. About 200 people attended. W h a t o t h e r e v e n t s have you organized dur- ing 2022? Another very important event we organized was the one at San Antonio Winery, which is run by an Italian family. Joe Buscaino, who at the time was running with the Democrats in the pri- maries for Los Angeles may- oral elections, was one of our guests. Then, we understood the need to create something of greater depth so we orga- nized, on October 29th, an event dedicated to the future of Made in Italy, with con- ferences and meetings dedi- cated to networking. What prompted you to j o i n t h e L o s A n g e l e s COM.IT.ES ? My institutional involve- ment began a few years ago, with the creation of MEET- Italy, in collaboration with the IIC. We did a high-level event, for networking and for the promotion of Italian excellence. We had, among others, the CEO of Pininfari- na, and Maurizio Vecchione, a scientist and collaborator of Bill Gates in the Global Good Fund. We also had JPL scientists as guests. The pro- ject went on stand-by with the pandemic but, for me, it has always been a great pas- sion. Often, as Italians, we get lost in a glass of water on a n o r g a n i z a t i o n a l l e v e l , when it comes to creating a system. We should be more cohesive because not many have a heritage like ours. What are your goals for 2023? We would like to continue the success of these first 12 m o n t h s . O f c o u r s e , w e ' l l need to take into account the funds that the new govern- ment will give us, which will make a difference. On our website, for instance, we give space to job opportunities coming from the institutions we collaborate with, or from Italian companies: that is an a s p e c t w e w o u l d l i k e t o develop further in 2023. Part of the L.A. COM.IT.ES at the Italian Embassy in Washington: from left Alfonso Copia, Patricia Sturla, Davide Accomazzo, Lorenzo Lisi, Valerio Chiarotti (not a COM.IT.ES member), Emanuela Soldano, Piero Stillitano. Photo courtesy of COM.IT.ES L'Italo-Americano speaks with Davide Accomazzo, president of COM.IT.ES LA SILVIA GIUDICI

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