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Deanna is a lifelong Italophile who grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, celebrating the Italian heritage passed down from her great-grandparents, who emigrated from Southern Italy. She fondly recalls picking tomatoes from the family garden for her grandmother’s Sunday sauce and for making the local “Brier Hill”–style pizza. In high school, she began studying the Italian language and joined an Italian folk-dancing troupe—activities she continued throughout her university and early professional years.

She holds a master’s degree in International Security from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of International Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Youngstown State University. Deanna recently retired after 32 years as a federal employee. She spent the last 15 years of her career as the Country Director for Italy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, at the Pentagon.