COMMITTEES
The D.I.V.E. Board of Directors is elected every 2 years and is made up of a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 9 members. The Board of Directors is assisted by a Consultant Committee and both undertake to coordinate the various activities of our association.
Board of Directors
Monica Longo
President
Born in Modena in the kingdom of pasta, balsamic vinegar and Grana Padano, I graduated in Medicine in Modena. I arrived in the United States, in Texas, in 1997, in Galveston, and then in Houston, for a short training period. I obtained a PhD in epidemiology and a specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology with a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine. This short passage therefore lasted more than 20 years. I have been in Washington since 2021 and I work for the National Institutes of Health, specifically for NICHD, dedicating myself to funds and initiatives to improve the health of mothers and children, continuing to practice medicine in the field of at-risk pregnancies.
I met DIVE on Zoom during the pandemic and finally in person at the Christmas market. I signed up in 2022 because seeing a community take action for Italians abroad is a unique emotion. In the years spent in Texas I had never seen groups so active in creating a network for Italians abroad, with the passion of keeping our culture and traditions alive.
In these two years with DIVE, I have contributed to the realization of various events and finally, after many years, I feel part of a community that allows me to express my love for Italy. I have a passion for cycling, skiing and various outdoor activities.
I would like to continue to support DIVE with my contribution to the growth, development and maintenance of this association that cares about different aspects of our culture.
Cristina Cassetti
Vice President
Cristina was born and raised in Rome, from Sicilian parents. After her PhD in virology, she moved to Bethesda in 1993 to conduct research at the National Institute of Health (NIH) on infectious diseases and vaccines. After various positions at the university and at a pharmaceutical company Cristina returned to the NIH to manage research programs on emerging viral diseases. Since 2019 she is the vice-director of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) at NIAID, a team of about 200 scientists and doctors with a budget of $ 2B per year to support research on infectious diseases. During her career she has received various awards, including the “Scienza Madre” award of the Spallanzani Institute and the honor of "Officer of the Italian Republic" conferred by the President of the Italian Republic. Cristina has two children of whom she is very proud: an aspiring veterinary daughter and an aspiring international economist son. In her free time, Cristina loves spending time with family and friends, cooking and doing outdoor sports, especially cycling and skiing. For several years Cristina was a beekeeper and taught a course in bee biology at the Montgomery County Beekeepers Club.
Cristina has been a DIVA since 2005 and, thanks to this association, she has developed deep and lasting friendships that enrich her life with joy, adventure and “Italianness”. She applied as a candidate for the Board with the desire to contribute to this important association and support other Italian women living in the area.
Anna Bertoni
Treasurer
I was born in Milan, moved to Rome in 2006 and then to the USA in 2014, first to New York City and then, in 2020, to Northern Virginia, in McLean. I have been a member of DIVE since 2021. Graduated in Physics, I work for Capital One where I deal with credit risk.
Member of the Advisory Committee since 2023 and of the Finance subcommittee, I played an important role in the opening of the DIVE Deposit Accounts in 2024. Vegan for 14 years, I organized two events in 2023 on the theme of vegan nutrition.
I am separated and have a 22 year old son, a former competitive swimmer, who is about to graduate with a degree in Finance from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Sandra Colombini Hatch
Secretary
Born in Modena, I have lived in the United States since 1987. I graduated in medicine, but my interest in biomedical research led me to the United States, where I worked on leukemia, HIV and tumors associated with HIV/AIDS. In the most recent part of my career, I have worked on research funding and training young doctors who want to pursue an academic career.
I am married to an American from Massachusetts and have a son, Harold. They are both in love with Italy, its beauty, culture and cuisine.
My interests are public health, cooking, global geopolitical events and politics.
For the DIVEs, I take care of the book club together with Maura Bangara and I am part of the “Divina Pasta” group together with other DIVEs.
As a member of the Comites, I re-established relations with the ACLI patronato in New York, which provides advice and assistance on matters of taxation, citizenship, labor law, etc., to members of the Italian community.
As a physician, I am also interested in ensuring that members of the community have a basic level of access to the National Health Service when they travel to Italy and, in this regard, I closely follow the legislative proposals as they progress through Parliament.
I have been a DIVA for over 10 years. I am motivated to actively participate in this organization because of my interest in maintaining and propagating the best of Italian culture, the variety of initiatives and the wealth of experience of its members.
Roberta Baietti
Consultant
I came to the United States many years ago. I am Tuscan, from Pontedera, a small town in the province of Pisa. I have a degree in Italian Language and Culture and for several years I taught Italian to adults in Fairfax County. I worked as an accountant in some American telecommunications companies.
I have two children, Rinaldo and Giulia, who, although born and raised in the United States, speak fluent Italian. I also have a grandson, Carlo, seven years old, who lives in Las Vegas.
I like reading, exercising and travelling. I love the sea and long walks.
I have been a Councilor for COM.IT.ES in the Washington DC constituency for three years.
I joined DIVE about a year after its founding and served on the Board of Directors for two consecutive terms as treasurer.
Social Events
Ilaria Pirocchi
Born in Teramo, Abruzzo, the home of arrosticini and spaghetti alla chitarra, I've lived in the United States since 2012. I hold a PhD in Financial Markets and Intermediaries from the University of Bologna and in 2005 I studied for a year at the NYU Stern School of Business, where I met my husband, Dino, also Italian. After various experiences in the US and Italy, we married and moved to Boston. Since 2018, we've lived in Falls Church, near Washington, D.C., with our children, Angelo, 10, and Claudia, 3.
After a collaboration with the University of Bologna, I held various Compliance, Regulation, and Risk Management roles in financial institutions. For over five years, I've worked in Capital Markets Compliance at Freddie Mac, monitoring derivatives activities and their regulatory compliance. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, yoga, and spinning.
Having joined DIVE only a year ago, I immediately felt at home! I hope to actively contribute to the association's programs, particularly supporting mothers and young professionals who are joining DIVE.
Advisory Committee
Elena Tassi
Elena was born and raised in Milan. She has lived in Washington DC since 1996, is a proud mother of Marco, a 19-year-old boy, and has been a member of DIVE since about 2007. With a degree in Biological Sciences, she began her career as a scientific researcher in the field of molecular oncology. She currently works in the management of oncology clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute (NIH) in Bethesda.
In her free time, to distract herself from science and her mother's commitment, she loves to travel, read, listen to music, ride her bike, take long walks and spend her holidays on tropical beaches. She has a weakness for cats, good food, good wine and conviviality with friends. She has a great passion for Latin American dances and in particular salsa which she holds in her heart.
She ran again for the board of directors with great enthusiasm to help keep this group of special women and friends active and vibrant.
Francesca Munzi
Francesca Munzi is originally from Rome, Italy. At a young age, she accompanied her diplomatic family overseas and primarily attended international schools. After college, Francesca moved to Congo, Africa where she started an internship with the United Nations and met the person who would become her husband. Since 2000, Francesca has been working for the U.S. State Department and has traveled abroad with her husband and three children, living in diverse cultural environments across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Francesca is a native Italian speaker, fluent in English, and conversant in Spanish and French. Throughout her career, she has worked in several countries, including Rwanda, the Republic of Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Panama, and the United States. With 25 years of experience at the U.S. Department of State, she has developed expertise in administration, customer service, organization, management, logistics, and protocol. Despite spending many years abroad, Francesca has a deep passion for Italian culture and traditions. She actively promotes this by teaching her children the Italian language, cooking traditional Italian meals, and encouraging them to visit family in Italy at least once a year. Being part of the DIVE organization reflects her heartfelt commitment to sharing the beauty of Italian culture. She truly cares about passing this legacy on, not only to her family but to everyone.
Maria Luisa Sylos Labini
Maria Luisa has lived in the United States for about forty years. She was born in Tolmezzo, in the province of Udine. She graduated in literature with a concentration in Italian Literature at the University of Trieste.
In Trieste she met her husband Andrea, they have two daughters and two beautiful grandchildren. In the United States Maria Luisa taught Italian as a foreign language at the State Department, at GWU and in many other language schools in the Washington area for more than twenty years.
Her passion for many years has been porcelain painting, she is completely dedicated to this art and she paints and teaches to keep alive this beautiful and ancient art of which she also has a vast collection.
Maria Luisa has been a part of DIVE with enthusiasm since the beginning and, over the years, has been part of three boards of directors.
Cris Misul
From the city of Modena, she is a freelance journalist and communication expert for events, institutional and private companies since 2004. Subsequent to her graduation in Modern Literature with History and Art minors at the University of Bologna, her Master degree in Milan, and her pursuing several pertinent projects in Italy, Luisa landed in the United States at the end of 2021 with her husband and her two children. Every day she continues to grow thanks to the teachings of her two children as she alternates between their upbringing and her professional activities, mainly as a copywriter, with her motherland, Italy. A lover of art, literature and reorganization, she is passionate about “biodanza”, which she has been practicing since 2006 and has been teaching after her graduation at the Bologna Training School.
As soon as she arrived in Bethesda, Luisa enrolled in the D.I.V.E. to create new connections, especially with other mothers with DIVINE children.
Elisabetta Bonini Bell
Born and raised in Modena, where I lived until I was 17. After various study/work experiences in Canada, United States, United Arab Emirates, she returned to live in the United States in 1998.
I currently work at an American commercial bank, where I deal with credit risk for food and hardware companies. I have a degree in political science and Spanish, and an MBA in International Business and a master's degree in Telecommunication Policy.
My hobbies are cooking, gardening, traveling, playing burraco and squash. My husband's name is Jeff and we live in Falls Church, VA.
I am currently a councilor for Com.It.Es and in the past I was Secretary for DIVE. I want to continue to support Italian women living abroad and promote Italian culture.