Luisa O’Gara, Director of the Adult Language Program & Instructor

Luisa was born and raised in Puglia in the Southern part of Italy, the land of the Trulli, and famous for Tarantella and Primitivo wine. Luisa is the youngest of three siblings. Her mother was a school teacher, which inspired Luisa to earn a degree in Education from the University of Firenze with a specialization in Adult Education. She spent several years as a preschool teacher for St. David's Center for Child and Family Development. She joined the ICC Adult school team in Spring 2012 and directed the Youth School Program from 2015 to 2021. Luisa met her future husband while in college, they live in the metro area with their two children.

Valentina Dagostin, Instructor

Valentina was born and raised in Trentino, in Northern Italy, and has lived abroad for over a decade, including several years in Denmark before moving to Minneapolis. She currently works as a project manager, leading cross-functional projects and process improvement initiatives. As a native Italian speaker, Valentina enjoys sharing not only Italian but also the traditions, regional differences, and everyday culture that make Italy unique. She believes language learning should be engaging, practical, and fun, and strives to create a welcoming classroom where students feel comfortable building confidence through conversation. Outside the classroom, Valentina enjoys baking, knitting, traveling, hiking, and spending time with her husband and her dog, Noli Canoli.

Suzanne Damberg, Instructor

Having spent over sixteen years living, working, and traveling in Italy, Suzanne considers it her second home. First in Florence, then in Spoleto, and finally in Salerno, she worked as an interpreter, simultaneous translator, and instructor of English as a Foreign Language. She got her teaching certificate - the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Preparatory Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults - at the International House, London, England, and taught at the English Centre of Spoleto for 11 years. Susanna brings to her classroom not only comprehensive teaching experience, but also first-hand experience learning Italian as a foreign language, with its inherent joys and pitfalls. Steeped in the Italian language and culture, her enthusiasm for Italy and its language ignites her students' interest and engagement.

Martina Di Silvio, Instructor

Martina was born and raised in a small town in Emilia Romagna (Northern Italy) between Modena and Reggio Emilia. International Education has always been a big part of her life: in high school, she spent a semester in Chili; in college, she spent one academic year studying in Turkey; after obtaining her Bachelor's Degree, she moved to the U.S. as an au pair. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of International Student Services at Concordia University, St. Paul. Martina enjoys spending time with her son, art, nature, and of course, traveling.

Pierangela Garau, Instructor 

Pierangela is an Italian artist born in Sardegna, a beautiful island in the center of the Mediterranean sea and lived in Brescia, Lombardia, for twenty years. After graduating from Liceo Classico, the high school specialized in humanities, Pierangela earned a degree in Visual Arts from the Brera Academy  of Fine Arts in Milano followed by a Master in Visual Design from Nuova Accademia del Design (NAD) in Verona. She moved to Minnesota in 2021 and joined ICC in January 2023. Pierangela enjoys teaching Italian language and culture to students at all levels of proficiency. She likes to spend her free time practicing CrossFit and Yoga, traveling, and pursuing her passion for photography.

Mariateresa Maruska Monaco, Instructor

Mariateresa relocated to Minnesota in 2019 with her husband and children. Born and raised in Cuneo, Piemonte, after attending Liceo Classico, Mariateresa earned a degree in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Torino and a Diploma in Piano from the Conservatorio Verdi di Torino. During her engineering studies, she met her husband. After working in Italy for a while, they decided to follow their “American Dream” and move to the Boston area for graduate studies in engineering and business at MIT. They spent many years studying and working in Boston before moving to Iowa and then Minnesota. After raising three bilingual children, now all in college, and enjoying a long career in the stock market, she is exploring her old passions for piano and teaching Italian, along with her interests in finance and investments.

Elizabeth McDowell, Instructor

Elizabeth lived in Bologna, Italy, for nearly ten years,
where she earned her CELTA through the University of Cambridge,
completed at International House Rome. A bilingual creative and translator, she began her career translating Italian literature and pedagogy.
She later became involved in filmmaking and the Italian short-film circuit,
with her films screened at festivals in Rome and Bologna. Her work on independent Italian documentaries led to screenings at the New York International Independent Film Festival and Rome Independent Film Festival. Today, she enjoys bringing a taste of Italy to Minnesota through cooking, music, and film. Her Italian favorites include De André, Battiato, Nanni Moretti, Fellini, and Dillo con parole mie.

Stefania Padalino,  Marketing and Communications Manager & Instructor

Stefania was born in Catania, Sicily, and has resided in various locations across Italy, including Naples, Verona, Vicenza, Tivoli, and Pisa. She has also lived in multiple cities in the United States and recently served as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator on a U.S. Army base in South Korea. Stefania holds a diploma in Early Child Development, a teaching certificate from the Italian Ministry of Education in Vicenza, and a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Oregon State University. Stefania joined ICC in the spring of 2023 after a successful career in public service as a U.S. Army Civilian.

Mirella Rossi Heimpel, Instructor 

Mirella is a native of Rome. She holds a Laurea in Psychology from the University of Roma "La Sapienza". Mirella has lived in the United States for 23 years and taught Italian privately and through different community programs. Besides focusing on the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, she attaches equal importance to learning about Italy and its rich culture.

Ileana Tamberlani Kraft, Instructor and Programming & Administrative  Manager of the Italian Film Festival

Ileana was born and grew up in a town by the coastline 30 miles south of Roma. She studied Political Sciences at the University in Roma. After living in Belgium for four years and traveling around Europe with her family, she met her husband and moved to the Twin Cities in 2010. She has been teaching Italian online to students from all over the world since 2011 and she also does interpreting and translating jobs. She strives to integrate Italian culture in her classes and daily life with students, family, and friends.

Eleonora Villani, Instructor

Eleonora, originally from the historic town of Manoppello in the beautiful Abruzzo region of Italy, completed her studies in L'Aquila, where she earned a Master's in Modern Languages and International Studies and a Bachelor's in Linguistic Mediation and Intercultural Communication. She is a freelance translator and an experienced instructor who has spent many years teaching Italian as a second language, bringing languages to life in dynamic and engaging ways. Before moving to the United States, Eleonora lived in several vibrant European cities, including Bologna, Genoa, Lyon, Geneva, and Paris. After two enriching years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she settled in Minneapolis, a city she adores for its diversity and spirit of innovation. She believes learning a language means connecting deeply with the people, histories, and traditions that make it unique.

Tiah Colacci, Youth School Instructor

Tiah holds an M.A. in Instruction and a K-12 Reading Teacher license from St. Mary's University. She has taught preschool through high school, including a few summers teaching in Italy. Her grandparents are from the region of Molise, and she enjoys visiting her relatives in Campobasso and San Severino Marche.

Martina Di Silvio, Youth School Instructor

Martina was born and raised in a small town in Emilia Romagna (Northern Italy) between Modena and Reggio Emilia. International Education has always been a big part of her life: in high school, she spent a semester in Chili; in college, she spent one academic year studying in Turkey; after obtaining her Bachelor's Degree, she moved to the U.S. as an au pair. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of International Student Services at Concordia University, St. Paul. Martina enjoys spending time with her son, art, nature, and of course, traveling.

Isabella Lowe, Youth School Instructor

Isa, born to an Italian mother and raised in Edina, MN, gained fluency in Italian during a year of elementary school in Italy and continues to visit the Pavia area every summer. Isa holds a degree in Italian Studies, Communications, and Cinema & Media from the University of Minnesota, where she also served as Co-president of Società Italiana. With years of experience working with children, Isa is dedicated to creating a fun and immersive learning environment for young students.

Eleonora Mitruccio, Youth School Instructor

Eleonora was born and raised in the Province of Pavia, in northern Italy. She studied at an Italian Liceo Classico, focusing on Latin, Ancient Greek, literature, and the humanities. She later earned a degree in Building Engineering and Architecture and has lived and worked in Italy, France, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her passion for teaching began in Uruguay, where she taught Art History, Technology, and Technical Drawing at the Italian School of Montevideo. She later taught Italian to immigrants in Italy and completed specialized training in teaching Italian abroad through Ca' Foscari University of Venice. Today, she teaches adolescents at the Italian Cultural Center in Minneapolis, creating engaging lessons that build confidence while exploring Italian language and culture.

Michael Sweet, Youth School Instructor

Michael (Meleto) holds master's degrees in Philosophy and Latin Literature from Kent State University. He specializes in teaching ancient languages, including Latin and Greek, to students of all ages using modern, research-informed teaching practices that treat all languages as living languages. He began studying Italian in 2015 before participating in the six-week Living Latin in Rome language program with The Paideia Institute. Since then, he has continued his Italian studies at School Amici in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Italian Cultural Center (ICC), and Concordia Language Villages. Meleto has been an instructor at Lago del Bosco for several years and now teaches at the ICC Youth School.