The Coccia Institute Welcomes its New Director, Dr. Mary Ann Re.
Posted in: Coccia eNewsletter
The Joseph and Elda Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America is pleased to announce the appointment of Mary Ann Re, Ph.D., as its new director.
A sociologist by training, Dr. Re brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, program development, and project implementation to the position. Some of you may be familiar with Dr. Re in the role of Executive Director of the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Commission (NJIIAHC), where she served for two years prior to assuming her current position as Director of the Coccia Institute on August 25th .
Mary Ann earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from St. John’s University, where she had also been awarded her B.A. summa cum laude. She has worked in social service and policy research in New York and Washington States; in a number of positions at AT&T Headquarters in New Jersey, including Director of their Consumer Testing Laboratory at Bell Labs; Director of Global Employee Research in Executive Human Resources; Program Analyst in Business Market Research and Strategic Alliances; and at CINN Worldwide, a New York publishing house, including its Italian Academy Foundation. Immediately preceding her joining the NJ Commission, Mary Ann had collaborated on a number of research projects with the New York based Institute for Italian-American Studies (INIAS).
Dr. Re’s responsibilities include the development and implementation of educational and cultural programs, as well as outreach/relationship building with other academic, cultural and diplomatic institutions in advancement of the Coccia Institute’s goals. While Mary Ann reports directly to Dr. Claire Taub, Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University, she works in close collaboration with the Coccia Institute’s knowledgeable and dedicated Board of Advisors.
Mary Ann’s paternal family emigrated to Brooklyn, NY from Santa Marina Salina, Isole Eolie, Province of Messina (Sicily) in 1928. Mary Ann and her family have restored the family home and eagerly await their annual visit. In addition to serving as Vice President of the Associazione Eoliani nel Mondo, based in Lipari (Isole Eolie), she is actively engaged with a number of other cultural and civic organizations, including the newly formed NY-NJ Italian Cultural Bridge (under the auspices of the Italian Cultural Institute and the Consulate of Italy in Newark); the Italian Heritage Culture Committee of New York; La Confederazione Siciliani Nord America; and The Italian American Heritage Club of Hunterdon County, NJ. Mary Ann is also a member of UNICO National and the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge, Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), based in Little Italy/Manhattan.
An enthusiastic and resourceful professional, passionate about her heritage and the mission of the Coccia Institute, we believe you will concur that Dr. Re is a most welcome addition to the Coccia Team!
