On Thursday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Staten Island Hilton Garden Inn’s Nicotra Ballroom, the Wagner College DaVinci Society will hold its 12th annual scholarship dinner.
The DaVinci Society is led by Chairman Ralph J. Lamberti, 12th borough president of Staten Island, and Honorary Co-chairman Richard Guarasci, president of Wagner College. Eleanor Conforti, former chairwoman of Community School Board 31 and a Staten Island Advance Woman of Achievement, is the chairwoman for the annual dinner.
Tickets for the fundraising dinner are $150. For information and reservations, please contact Betty McComiskey at Wagner College (718) 390-9333 or specialevents@wagner.edu. To purchase tickets with a credit card, please use this secure link.
Community Service Award honorees
- Daniel J. Messina
- Inez M. Palladino
- John Piazza
- Joseph Ponzi
- Joseph Suarez
Renaissance Award honorees
- John Dunne
- Donna Proske
- Mark Zawisny
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Vincent Bellafiore
Daniel J. Messina, a lifelong resident of Staten Island, has been president and CEO of Richmond University Medical Center since 2014. During his previous tenure as senior vice president and chief operating officer of CentraState Healthcare System, that organization was recognized as a national leader by Press Ganey and named among the “100 Best Hospitals to Work For” in 2008 by Modern Healthcare Magazine.
An adjunct professor at Seton Hall University, Messina is a licensed nursing home administrator. He earned his master of public administration degree in healthcare administration from C.W. Post College and his Ph.D. in healthcare leadership from Seton Hall University.
He has served on the boards for the Visiting Nurses Association and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey.
Messina is a former pitcher for New Dorp High School and the LIU Blackbirds as well as the local sandlots. Currently an avid marathon runner and outdoor enthusiast, he has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and recently hiked Mont Blanc through Switzerland, France and Northern Italy.
Messina says that he considers himself lucky to have a terrific family in wife, Debra, and his two children, Daniel and Lianne, who have supported his career.
Inez Palladino has been a leading figure in the Staten Island Republican Party for more than 40 years. As a committeewoman, district leader, state committeewoman and president of the Women’s Republican Club of Richmond County, she has devoted her time, efforts and commitment to improving the quality of life on Staten Island. Since 1985, she has served on the executive committee of the New York State Federation of Republican Women. She is a sustaining member of the Republican National Committee.
She was married to the late Richard Palladino for 48 years and is the mother of three children, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of two.
She served as administrative assistant to the late Senator John Marchi from 1994 to 2006.
Palladino is an active participant in the work of many organizations on Staten Island, volunteering her time with the Goodhue Center, Children’s Aid Society, World Wildlife Fund, Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences and the Staten Island Zoological Society, to name just a few. As a result of her dedication, she has received the New York State Federation of Republican Women’s President’s Award, the Dominick Alini Award, the John Marchi Award from the Richmond County Young Republicans, and the President’s Award for Public Relations.
John Piazza has been a doctor of chiropractic care since 1996, dedicating himself to the positive benefits of dietary and lifestyle changes for better health. He is the founder of the Sports Science Lab, which opens this month.
A graduate of Life Chiropractic College and the College of Staten Island, Piazza is an active philanthropist, supporting such local organizations as the Grace Foundation and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. He is president for District 5 (Richmond County) of the New York Chiropractic Association and is a member of both the New York Chiropractic Council and the American Chiropractic Association. In 2014, Piazza was selected by Borough President James Oddo to serve on his health and wellness advisory council.
Piazza’s experience as a health and fitness enthusiast has enabled him to publish his “Nutrition Reform and Weight Loss Program Guide.” His work with amateur and professional athletes has made his practice, New York Chiropractic and Physical Therapy, one of the nation’s top centers for the rehabilitation of sports-related injuries.
Joseph Ponzi is a retired chief investigator for the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. Born and educated in Brooklyn, Ponzi was appointed to the position of detective investigator with the Kings County D.A.’s Office in 1977. Through the course of his 36-year career, he has held every investigator title in the office, and in 2002 he was appointed chief investigator.
From 1980 to 1990, Ponzi served as the primary polygraph examiner for both the Kings County District Attorney’s Office and the New York Police Department. In 1988, he was featured in a New York Daily News article, “He Gets Slayers to Sing,” which told of his success in eliciting confessions.
In 1989, as deputy chief investigator, he created the Kings County D.A.’s Special Investigations Unit, which resulted in the dismantling of several notorious drug gangs and the solving of over 45 murders. As a dedicated police officer, he was responsible for the administration, training and discipline of the 80 detective investigators assigned to Kings County. In March 2014, after 36 years of dedicated service and having served under four district attorneys, Ponzi retired from law enforcement.
Ponzi and his wife of 37 years, Lisa, have been part of the Staten Island community since 1981. Their two daughters, Laura and Jennifer, and two grandchildren, Ava Lyn and Jason Michael Gitter, complete the Ponzi family.
Joseph Suarez, who was born and educated in Brooklyn, earned his medical degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. He served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, completing his service in 1973. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in 1976, where he served as chief resident during his final year. He received the Klineberg Award for Best Senior Resident in recognition of his dedication and commitment. In 1976, he became a partner in the practice of orthopedic surgery with Dr. Albert Accettola and continued to practice for the next 36 years.
Suarez served on the medical staff of the Staten Island University Hospital and Richmond University Medical Center during his years of practice. He was a consultant for Eger Nursing Home. He served as team physician for Wagner College and many Staten Island high school athletic teams. For more than 15 years, he was an important part of the medical advisory board for the Visiting Nurse Association of Staten Island, for which he received the prestigious Smith Stanley Award in 2007. He served on the board of the New York State Orthopedic Society and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons.
Suarez and his wife reside on Ward Hill, Staten Island, and are the parents of four grown children and 10 grandchildren.
John Dunne is currently a battalion chief with the Fire Department of New York assigned to Battalion 2 in Greenwich Village. This month, he celebrates his 38th anniversary with the department.
Dunne has served for 11 years as an elected executive board member of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, the union representing FDNY lieutenants, captains, battalion and deputy chiefs, medical officers and supervising fire marshals. He is proud of his work with the association, since it gives him the opportunity to help people when they need it most. He has served on the UFOA Safety Committee, chaired the Pension and Retirement Committee, and was responsible for all legislation placed before the state Legislature. He interacted closely with all of our elected officials while in Albany.
A Brooklyn transplant, Dunne resides on Grymes Hill. He is the proud father of four children, and is soon to be a grandfather in January.
Donna Proske has been dedicated to working with the Staten Island community and Staten Island University Hospital for more than 30 years. She began her career as a registered nurse, followed by her role as vice president of nursing, senior vice president of operations and chief nurse executive. In 2013, she became the first female executive director of SIUH. Her three decades of experience has earned her the Woman in Healthcare Award, the Visiting Nursing Association of Staten Island’s Smith Stanley Award, and the prestigious North Shore-LIJ Health System Nursing Leadership Award, to name just a few.
Proske is known for her team problem-solving strategies and innovative policies and programs. She played a major role in establishing the Regional Burn Center, the cardiac surgery program and the Elizabeth Connelly emergency center at SIUH.
Proske has volunteered with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and was a sponsor of Camp Independent and Camp Good Grief.
Mark Zawisny is a Staten Island native who was raised in a traditional Polish home and was taught the culture and values of his heritage. For more than 15 years, he has been an active member of the Staten Island Pulaski Day Parade Committee and raises funds, manages finances and organizes the annual banquet. In 2007, he was the youngest grand marshal in the history of the parade.
He founded the Pulaski Educational Foundation, which provides financial aid to gifted students in the Polish community.
Zawisny works closely with representatives of Local 78 Asbestos Lead and Hazardous Waste Laborers to raise awareness of post-9/11 issues affecting Polish workers involved in the Ground Zero clean-up.
His latest endeavor is the establishment of the Polish American Legal Society, which offers its members assistance in legal and social issues.
Mark Zawisny is a founding member of Zawisny & Zawisny, a full-service law firm.
He and his wife, Marta, have two children. The family resides in the Todt Hill area of Staten Island.
Vincent Bellafiore is an educator who embraces scholarship and believes that the primary goal of education is to mold children’s lives. He began his career as a biology teacher, served as principal at St. Frances Cabrini Academy, and served as a director of the New York Academy of Public Education from 2007 to 2010.
Bellafiore believes in the importance of commitment to the Staten Island community. He is a member of Community Board 2, director of the Iron Hills Civic Association, and was formerly president of the Staten Island Children’s Museum. He is an adjunct professor at the Staten Island campus of St. John’s University.
As an Italian American, he supports the goals of the DaVinci Society and has been a member since its inception. He strives to be an Italian-American role model, promoting a greater understanding of the historical contributions of Italians and Italian Americans in our community.
