Biography

Professor Emerita, Community College of Rhode Island, Department of World Languages and Cultures, Maria C. Mansella was born in Galluccio (Caserta). She attended the Istituto Magistrale and earned the Diploma of Maturità Magistrale from the Istituto Vincenzo Gioberti, Sora (Frosinone), Italy. Maria C. Mansella holds a BA Cum Laude from Rhode Island College in Secondary Education with a major in French and a minor in Portuguese, a Student Designed Concentration in Italian from URI and a Master in Arts from Middlebury College. She attended graduate courses in Italian literature at Brown University, and the URI Salamanca Summer Immersion Program in Spain. She taught Bilingual Education-ESL, and Italian, French and Spanish for several Rhode Island elementary and secondary schools, Rhode Island College, Providence College and Providence College School of Continuing Education. Maria C. Mansella dedicated 40+years teaching Italian with occasional assignments in French and Spanish. Active in several professional associations, Maria C. Mansella served as President of RITI (Rhode Island Teachers of Italian) 2000-2004 and as a member of AATI (American Association of Teachers of Italian) she served on their AATI National Examination Committee. She was the Corresponding Secretary of RIFLA (Rhode Island World Language Association) and RITI Newsletter Co-Editor. Maria C. Mansella served as Vice President of C.A.S.IT. (Centro Attività Scolastiche Italiane) an Ente Gestore of the Italian Consulate in Boston, 2000-2002 and she has been an active C.A.S.IT. Board Member 1996 to 2019. She is an active member of AATI (American Association Teachers of Italian), RIFLA (Rhode Island Foreign Language Association), RITI Executive Board Member (Rhode Island Teachers of Italian), IAHS of RI (Italian American Historical Society of Rhode Island), The Renaissance-Alliance Lodge – Sons of Italy, NOIAW (National Organization Italian American Women), CAIS (Canadian Association Italian Studies), LLC (Lifelong Learning Collaborative) and Member of the Comitato Scientifico Accademia Properziana Del Subasio, Assisi, Italy. Maria C. Mansella presented several foreign language workshops at the local and state levels, participated in conferences in the US and abroad and she is a mentor for novice teachers in Secondary Education with a concentration in World Languages and Cultures.