Long-Time New Haven Register Reporter Named Wise Woman

A Hamden resident and long-time New Haven Register reporter is one of three women who will be honored this month by the Connecticut Region of the National Organization of Italian American Women.

NOIAW celebrates its third annual Epiphany Celebration event on Sunday, Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the New Haven Lawn Club in New Haven, when it will honor Ann DeMatteo, an editor who has covered Hamden for the New Haven Register for decades.

Each year the organization honors Three Wise Women who have excelled in their chosen fields and have made a positive contribution to their communities over a period of time. U.S. Congresswoman Rosa. L. DeLauro will present the awards to this year’s honorees: DeMatteo, Patricia Consiglio Perrotti and Nancy J. DiNardo.

DeMatteo is the Assistant Metro Editor at the New Haven Register and has spent more than 30 years covering local news and investigative stories. She also speaks openly and honestly in her columns and blogs of her own battle with breast cancer, which endeared her even more to her followers. 

Perrotti is a third generation restaurateur whose family owns Consiglio’s Restaurant in New Haven. She was instrumental in extending the Consiglio’s brand to include onsite cooking classes and summer dinner theatre. 

DiNardo is the Chairwoman of the Democratic Party in the state of Connecticut. She is the first woman elected to the post of chair in the history of the state's Democratic Party. Since 1971, Nancy has been active in the political arena in the state, as well as having spent 30 years as an educator in the Bridgeport school district. 

"We are thrilled to have such wonderful honorees who have excelled in their chosen careers," Jo-Ann Daddio-Larsen, President of the Connecticut Region of NOIAW said. "These women are wonderful role models for young women, especially those of Italian American heritage."

Proceeds from the Epiphany Celebration help to support NOIAW programs such as the Mentor Program, which pairs young Italian American women with established professionals as mentors; the Scholarship Program, which provides financial assistance to students so that they may realize their dreams, and the Cultural Exchange Program which sends young Italian American women on educational group trips to Italy. 

Tickets for the Epiphany Celebration start at $55. For tickets and sponsorship information, please visit noiaw@noiaw.org or call 212-642-2003. Reservations must be made by Tuesday, Jan. 17.