ISDA President Basil Russo and First Lady Pat Gallupoli Russo (front-center) are joined by delegates and leaders from the organization’s Ohio District at the 47th Biennial Convention, held at the Omni Chicago Hotel.
Basil M. Russo, national president of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), was elected to his sixth term during the 47th ISDA Biennial Convention, held on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
Since first taking office in 2014, Russo has been unanimously reelected five consecutive times, leading ISDA through a decade of sustained cultural and financial growth.
Today, ISDA reaches millions annually through viral social media campaigns, advancing initiatives that promote Italian American advocacy, history, tradition and heritage.
Meanwhile, ISDA Financial Life — the organization’s fraternal benefit society founded in 1960 — has expanded by more than 600 percent under Russo’s leadership, growing to nearly half a billion dollars in member assets.
In just the past year, Russo led a delegation of ISDA leaders to the White House to meet with the President and First Lady, has successfully fought to prevent the removal of Pittsburgh’s 30-foot Columbus statue, restored Columbus Day as a citywide holiday in Philadelphia and helped launch the third annual Italian American Future Leaders (IAFL) convention, a national gathering designed to empower the next generation of Italian American visionaries.
One of IAFL’s most promising initiatives, Inizio, recently became an official ISDA lodge — a bellwether achievement in rallying younger generations to embrace Italian American culture, once thought to be a lost cause.
Membership has also risen by 20 percent during Russo’s tenure, a testament to the vitality of ISDA and the dedication of its many lodges across the country.
“Celebrating our past and paying tribute to the ancestors who paved the way is every bit as important as cultivating financial and cultural growth,” said Russo. “Our future is in focus, thanks to ISDA leaders and members who share my belief that our heritage must continue to move in one direction — forward.”
Women in Leadership
In a historic first for ISDA, longtime leaders Danielle Salasavage and Sharon Cerrone were unanimously elected as national vice presidents of ISDA’s Order and Fraternal affairs, respectively. Russo nominated both leaders as part of his ongoing commitment to elevate women in Italian American leadership.
“The Italian American nonprofit world has been too patriarchal,” said Russo. “Women — from the boardroom to the household — have preserved and guided our culture for generations. Our community simply wouldn’t exist without the strength of our mothers and daughters.”
In fact, each year, ISDA presents the prestigious Donna Distinta Award to outstanding women of Italian descent, honoring contributions that span culture, industry, philanthropy and advocacy.
No other major Italian American nonprofit has placed women’s leadership at the forefront — a shift ISDA is pioneering, and one that is poised to reshape the community in the years ahead.
A Call to Action
The convention’s keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Mike Rulli (R-OH), energized attendees with a call to safeguard Italian American culture through advocacy and federal legislation.
Rulli is building support to codify Columbus Day into permanent law, ensuring its preservation as a national holiday, while also working to restore dual citizenship rights that were stripped from many Italian Americans earlier this year.
“Italian Americans deserve a living, legal connection to their heritage. I stand with the millions whose lineage reaches beyond these arbitrary new cutoffs, and I will continue working with leaders in Italy to reverse this unjust law,” said Rep. Rulli.
Looking Ahead
It was announced that the 48th ISDA National Convention will be hosted in New York and New Jersey — two historic centers of Italian American life — paying homage to these cradles of heritage.
ISDA District National Vice Presidents Danielle Salasavage (Western NY), John Viola (NYC) and Patrick O’Boyle (NJ) will organize this major East Coast convention.
Meanwhile, the fourth annual Italian American Future Leaders Convention, dubbed “IAFL 4,” will be held over MLK weekend in 2026 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
The convention is open to Italian Americans ages 21 to 35, and registration will open in the coming weeks.
Special thanks to Ill./Ind. District National Vice President Anthony Basso for organizing and hosting the 47th Biennial Convention.
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