President

Email: president@iaclub.org

I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and have lived in the metro area my entire life. My Sicilian ancestors all arrived in Grand Rapids before 1920, originating from Alcamo, Termini Imerese, Palermo and Cefalù. After graduating from Grandville High School, I studied automotive technology and photography at Grand Rapids Community College. I recently finished the certificate course at Boston University in the field of genealogy to improve my research skills. I have been passionate about genealogy and the history of the West Michigan area for over 35 years. I have done extensive research pertaining to the history of West Michigan’s Italian-American community and have taken the lead on forming an Italian special interest group within the West Michigan Genealogical Society. I also love to travel with my wife and we are hoping to visit Sicily in the near future.

Vice-President

I was born and raised in Lansing Michigan. I worked at Oldsmobile as a Tool Maker, then studied Manufacturing Engineering at Ferris State University. I'm currently retired in July 2025 from GM. My family came here from the city Castellaneta, province of Taranto, in the Apulia Region (also known as the Puglia region). Growing up my family was involved in the Italian American club of Lansing. I remember many club scampagnata (picnics) at a park in Bunker Hill Township, which is between Lansing & Jackson. I was very fortunate to have both parents that were extremely great cooks.

I've been married for 41 years to my wife Linda, and we have 1 son, Dominic. We traveled to Italy back in 2024. The trip was amazing, we visited Napoli, Sorrento, Capri, Ravello, Positano and the Island of Sardinia. We are trying to plan a trip again for 2026, which we are headed to Lake Garda, Venice, Rome, Castellaneta, Sorrento and back to Sardinia. I'm currently working hard on my Italian and hope to improve before our trip. I really appreciate being part of the Italian American Club of West Michigan. I hope to help build a lot of great events so we can share each other's experiences in such a wonderful Italian Culture. Thanks for all your Support.

Meetup Coordinator

Email: meetups@iaclub.org

I am originally from Flint MI. My parents were Mike and Josephine Bellomo. My father was born in Valenzano Puglia Italy to Nicola Bellomo and Francesca De Bellis. He came to America in 1921 and settled in Chicago. My mother’s parents, Antonino Manno and Cona Randazzo, came to America from San Cono Sicily in the Provence of Enna around 1906 and settled in Indiana where my mother was born shortly thereafter. My parents met and married in Chicago and then moved to Flint MI where my brother, Nicola and I were born. It wasn’t until after my parents died that I became interested in my heritage and started my genealogical research. My parents never talked about their past so I basically started from ground zero. After some digging and help from friends in Chicago I was able to connect with my father’s family in Valenzano and meet my cousins and see my grandfather’s house. Through letters I discovered that my mother had kept I learned about her parents journey to America. I then traveled to Sicily where I met my Sicilian cousins. I have been to Italy many times to visit all my cousins and discover all Italy has to offer. I have lived in Grand Rapids for the last 40 years and retired from Foremost/Farmers Insurance in 2018 after 31 years of services as a Software Asset Manager. Previously I lived in East Lansing and worked for Michigan Bell before transferring to Grand Rapids and working for AT&T. In addition to being a member of IACWM , I am also a member of Club Italia and the Sister Cities Perugia Commitee . I now volunteer as an Election Worker in my local precinct and in my spare time I travel, play pickleball and chess and continue my genealogy research.

Treasurer

Email: treasurer@iaclub.org

I was born and raised in the Detroit area to parents that immigrated from Italy in 1948, so I am a first-generation Italian-American.  My father is from Bavaria, and my mother is from the neighboring town of Cusignana.  Both towns are in the Province of Treviso, approximately 35 miles from Venice.  When I was nine years old, my parents took my sister and me to Italy for an entire summer, where we stayed with family.  Five of my father's nine siblings remained in Italy, so I was able to meet my aunts and uncles and several first cousins.  On my mother’s side, while in Italy that summer, I was able to meet my maternal great-grandfather and many of my mother’s relatives.  I’ve been back to Italy as an adult two more times, in 2013 and 2019, traveled around the country, and also connected with extended family near Treviso.   After high school, I attended Michigan State University where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and after a brief stint as a 2nd grade teacher, I decided to change my career path, whereupon I graduated from Ferris State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.  After college, I moved to the Grand Rapids area, and have lived in the West Michigan area ever since.  I currently live in Caledonia with my husband Bob, and I have two adult sons who live in the Grand Rapids area.  I’m retired from a 40-year career in Information Technology, having worked the last 15 years for the Department of Defense in Battle Creek doing SAP software sustainment.

Cultural Coordinator

Email: culture@iaclub.org

My fraternal grandparents, Sante Iarossi and Domenica Riga came to America in 1928 and settled in Weirton, West Virginia, where my father was born soon after. He always liked to remind us that he was conceived in Italy. I was also born in Weirton, and was part of a large Italian community there, but unfortunately my parents divorced when I was 5 years old and my mother moved us to Portage, Indiana. In turn, I was not able remain close to the Italian side of my family. I attended Portage H. S. and graduated with a major in French from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. After grad school, I worked for a year in France, I came back to the States and embarked on a 35-year career as a bookseller, during which time I went to see my father and his side of the family as often as possible. I moved to Grand Rapids in 1985, and about 20 years ago, I decided to fully embrace my Italian heritage and started to try to learn Italian. I have participated with Club Italia since its inception, and I became a member of the IACWM soon after. I also became a member of the Grand Rapids /Perugia Sister City committee and currently serve as chair of that organization . I retired a few years ago, but, after Covid, I returned to work as a patient service representative at Butterworth Hospital. Besides working, I enjoy all my Italy-related pursuits, I facilitate a mystery reading group and have lots of “Nonna” activities with my family.

Merchandise Coordinator

Email: merch@iaclub.org

I was born and grew up in Traverse City Michigan with my parents and sister, enjoying the cherry festival each summer and the fantastic area of northern Michigan. I then received a full athletic scholarship to attend Michigan Tech university where I attended through 1992 and then moved to the Grand Rapids area where I met my wife and raised all four of our children who have now started families of their own, and I am a grandfather of four that all live in West Michigan. My family heritage is from the Calabrian and Sicily regions and I have taken an interest in learning more about those regions and others in Italy and I am planning a trip in 2025.

Trustee

I was born and raised in metro Detroit. My Sicilian ancestors immigrated to Michigan and New York in the early 1900s, originating from Terrasini and Villabate on my father's side, and Augusta on my mother's. I am extremely proud of my Italian roots, not only in blood and heritage, but being such an important part of everyday life. The culture, music and cinema, art and architecture, history, and especially cuisine! Food has always been a big part of bringing my family together. At a young age, I pursued my passion for cooking in several Italian American restaurants across the Detroit area before later transitioning into the automotive industry. In 2018, I accepted an offer to relocate to West Michigan where my wife Rosanna and I chose to start and raise our family of five. In recent years, I've had the honor and privilege of being involved with the Grand Rapids Griffins youth foundation, which has recently granted me the opportunity to bring Team Italy to the GYF Olympians hockey league! As a leader in manufacturing and partner in real estate and retail expansion, I look forward to bringing my experience, deep passion for food and sports, and strong connection to my family's Italian heritage to the club, sharing our beautiful culture with future members in and around West Michigan