About the Scuola
A 501c3 nonprofit organization
The Mission of Scuola Italiana di Portland is to bring accessible Italian language and culture to the local and global community in a welcoming and student centered environment.
Our Staff
Heather Niles, Program Coordinator
My name is Heather and I’ve been with Scuola Italiana since 2017. My background is in non-profit and governmental work and I have a Masters in Public Administration. I’ve worked at the federal and local government level for many years before becoming interested in non-profit work. I’m not Italian and it may surprise you to know I don’t speak Italian, but I’ve grown to love this language and culture in my years here. If you reach out to the school, you will probably speak to me! I love hanging out with my family, walking, knitting, and reading.
Kristin Romaine, Executive Director
Piacere di conoscerti! I am honored to be Scuola Italiana’s first Executive Director. Scuola Italiana is a very special community and I look forward to building this mission together. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona– I moved to Portland, OR in 2018. I bring over 25 years in nonprofit leadership to this role but also taught K-12 special education and worked in curriculum development at the community college and university level. I have a Bachelor’s Degree from Arizona State University in Special Education and an MBA from Regis University in Nonprofit Management. I am from Phoenix, Arizona originally and moved to Portland, OR in 2018. I have Sicilian roots in my family via Enna. I have been very involved in global philanthropy and fundraising including being part of several programs with the State Department and a Sister Cities delegation to Catania in 2014 that was focused on entrepreneurship & innovation. As I rediscover my own italian heritage, culture & learn Italian myself as a beginner– I look forward to sharing the journey & joy of italian culture with our community here in Portland. My husband Terrance, son James and I moved here because it was the only place we love almost as much as Italia. We are always seeking joy through culture sharing & wholeheartedly believe the Italian saying– “se sorridi viene meglio”.
Daniela Silvestrin, Registration and Adult Teacher
Ciao! My name is Daniela, and I was born in a small village in the hills of northern Italy. I recently moved to Portland with my husband. I have a degree in Education (Scienze dell’Educazione) from the University of Padova. In Italy, I was working in adult education and also as a private tutor for children. I’m very excited to be a part of Scuola Italiana di Portland and to have the opportunity to share my native language and culture. I love traveling, cooking Italian dishes, and talking about my country.
Our Teachers
Preschool and Childrens’ Classes
Lara Carnovali, Preschool Teacher and Children’s Program Coordinator
My name is Lara Carnovali and I am very happy to be teaching at the Scuola Italiana di Portland. I come from Milano and I’ve always dreamed of being a teacher. I received a degree in Education (Scienze della Formazione Primaria) from the University of Milano – Bicocca in 2008. I also worked as a teacher from 2002 to 2009 at an elementary school near Milano, where I focused on helping my students experience that learning can and must be fun to be effective. In 2010, I started a collaboration with Edigio, an Italian publisher of books for children, and my first illustrated book, “Mielisa, apetta indecisa” was published.
Alessio Pasini, Preschool Teacher and Assistant
My name is Alessio and I am very excited to be teaching at the Scuola Italiana di Portland. I come from Romagna, Italy and I’ve always dreamed of working with languages and children. I received a diploma of international business administration from Oriani Tech School in Faenza in 2000. I also worked as a babysitter right after I moved to the states in 20202 while being a stay at home dad. That gave me the opportunity to be very intentional on how I wanted to teach language to my son, so I am excited to share all my tricks with other children in the classroom.
Tamara Robson, Weekend Teacher (ages 7-11) and Playgroup Instructor
Ciao! My name is Tamara and I am originally from Slovenia, but I’ve been living in Portland for the last four years and I’m still eager to discover everything this city has to offer. We love living here and yet whenever possible my family takes time off and we travel abroad as we strongly believe in the importance of learning about other cultures. I hold a master’s degree in Law, but I’m passionate about learning and teaching foreign languages and I love sharing that passion with my students of all ages.
Sara Tomaselli, Weekend Teacher (ages 3-6) and Preschool Sub
Sara was born in the United States and grew up speaking Italian. Her parents are both Italian immigrants and instilled in Sara the importance of learning the Italian language and culture. Sara was able to spend several summers in Italy with family, mainly in small towns in the Province of Massa and Carrara and the Province of Avellino. Sara has tutored Spanish, Italian, French and English to children of all ages in the U.S and Europe. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French and has a Masters in Public Administration. She loves hiking in the woods or in her neighborhood with her husband Tony and son Sergio. Sergio is 3 years old and attends La Scuola di Portland.
Our Teachers
Adult Classes
Pina Di Rosa, Adult Classes, Summer Camps, Cooking Classes
Ciao! I was born in the south of Italy, in Naples, but I lived many years in Brescia, in the north. I earned my degree in nursing and I practiced for over 25 years in the fields of psychiatry and psychology.
My passion for the study of humanities lead me to back to school where I graduated from the Università Degli Studi di Pavia with high honors in Italian Language and Literature, with a thesis of Latin Paleography on the handwriting of the poet Giacomo Leopardi. I have earned the DITALS (Certificate of proficiency in teaching Italian as a second language).
I love music. I am a singer and guitarist. I play in different venues in and around Portland. I have published two CDs of my Italian music. I’ve always had many compliments on my cooking skills, so I teach Italian cooking in classes for children and adults. I am a world traveler, and once during a trip to Turkey, I met my husband, an American and that was how I ended up here in Portland.
Dominique Dore, Adult Classes
Ciao! I’m Dominique Dore. I’m very excited to share my passion for teaching and knowledge of Italian language and culture with the students of the Scuola Italiana!
I attended high school in Massa Carrara when I was sixteen with no formal Italian training and initially learned to speak by the sink or swim method. I had a particularly inspirational literature teacher and have been an advocate for Italian language and culture ever since. I went on to get a B.A. in Italian Literature from U.C. Santa Cruz in 1993 and moved to Rome shortly after where I worked as a translator and assistant to a film producer for two years.
Since then I have worked in Italian wine import in the San Francisco bay area and returned to Rome to earn my TEFL certificate and work as a translator, interpreter and language instructor for another three years in 2003. I recently finished the coursework for my Masters in Italian from San Francisco State University, where I taught various levels of Italian language and culture and studied linguistics and methods.
I have also taught at a number of private schools, done freelance work as a translator/interpreter and cultural liaison and contributed to events for the Amici di Italia foundation with particular interest in food and wine and film. I was also a founding member of the first American chapter of Slow Food and am a certified wine educator through WSET.
Robert Morse, Adult Classes
Ciao! I have taught Italian for more than fifteen years, both at the College and Adult Education levels. I earned my Master’s degree in Italian from the University of Virginia in 2007, and then taught at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana until 2016.
During fifteen years living and working in Italy, I enjoyed an outstanding career as a professional basketball player in Varese and Reggio Emilia, and later worked in the sports business in Rome, while learning Italian fluently. In 2009 I became an honorary citizen of the City of Varese, Italy. My wife, Elizabeth, and I moved to Portland in 2016 for family reasons.
Betty Schmidt, Adult Classes
Ciao! My name is Betty and I am very happy to join the community of Scuola Italiana. I have been speaking Italian for 35 years and teaching it professionally for over 15.
Originally from Oregon, I am a graduate of Portland State University. I lived in Rome in the 1980s where I was married to a Roman and had 2 children. I finished a program in Italian language for foreigners while in Rome and while living there also taught EFL both privately and through St James School. My English students were from all walks of life: bankers and phone company employees, film directors and housewives, teens and small children.
My family and I moved back to the states in 1992 where my husband and his brother opened a restaurant in the Italian neighborhood of North Beach in San Francisco. While in San Francisco I worked for a wholesale gourmet food company, speaking Italian daily with Bay Area Italian chefs.
Since moving back to Portland in 2000, I have taught Italian at Portland Community College, Nike, NW Academy and Riverdale High School among other places and continue to tutor. I have managed to visit Italy almost every year since leaving as I never tire of the beauty of the language, the fascinating history, the warm and welcoming people and great food and wine!
Cinzia Corio-Holman, Adult Classes
Salve a tutti! I am an Italian native who grew up in Milan and attended college at the Università degli Studi di Milano, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures with a focus on English and Russian. While in college, I studied for a semester both in London, UK and Moscow, Russia. I also recently obtained an Executive MBA.
While still living in Italy, I taught English at all levels and was tutoring students at middle school, high school and college level.
I moved to Portland, OR after marrying an US national and soon after was given the opportunity to teach Italian at Portland Community College. Later I also taught Italian at a couple of private schools and at the Multnomah Athletic Club. In more recent years, I have mainly taught private students from one-on-one instruction to group instruction, in addition to teaching at the Scuola.
I am also an accomplished translator from English to Italian and from Italian to English.
I hold a full time job as a contract administrator and am a registered notary with the State of Oregon, doing notarizations of English and Italian language documents.