On Tuesday, May 11, CCF held a Conversation with Marianna Gatto, Executive Director/Co-Founder of the Italian American Museum Los Angeles. It was an informative discussion on what drives the programming and exhibits on Italian American history and culture in this relatively new museum on the West Coast.

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Marianna Gatto is the executive director and cofounder of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles as well as a historian and author with two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, education, and museums. Gatto has served as the director of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) since 2010 and facilitates most of the museum’s major gifts. She is the author of the IAMLA’s award-winning permanent exhibition as well as its educational curricula, and curates many of the museum’s exhibitions.

Gatto’s research focuses on Italian Americans in the Western United States and will be showcased in her forthcoming book, Beyond Little Italy: Italian Americans in the City of Angels. She is a contributing editor of the Italian Sons and Daughters of America’s online journal and has appeared in several documentary films, including the PBS series The Italian Americans. Gatto consults for other nonprofits and businesses and is a frequent guest speaker. In 2019, she was named one of the State of California’s Women of the Year. Gatto is a dual citizen of the United States and Italy and will be recognized by the Italian government with the title Cavalliere later this year.