Meet Honorees Brenda Vaccaro, Robert Carlucci & Lorraine Grillo
- IWL
- Aug 20
- 2 min read
Updated: 8 minutes ago
Brenda Vaccaro is a critically acclaimed actress whose career in film, television, and theater spans more than five decades. Over the years, she has earned numerous award nominations and has been honored with both a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award. Most recently, Ms. Vaccaro appeared in “Nonnas”, which garnered over 1.5 billion views on Netflix.
Robert E. Carlucci is the founder of The RC Group. He has been a leader in the food service industry his entire career, and a multi-state real estate developer and operator of Yum Brands Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza Hut for more than 30 years.
He chaired The United Way Campaign of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and served on the Board of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. Carlucci is the Immediate Past Chairman of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and previously served as a Director and the NIAF’s Gala Chairman. Bob established The Carlucci Entrepreneurship Forum at the American University of Rome where he was a former board member and trustee.
Lorraine Grillo is the CEO of Bradford Construction Corp. of New York, A BRAVO Company. For the past 30 years, Lorraine Grillo has served in numerous roles in New York City government, including as First Deputy Mayor, COVID recovery Czar and Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction.
Previously, she was the longest serving President and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority, where she spearheaded the construction of over 80,000 new school seats, 9,000 early childhood seats and nearly 4,000 capital improvement projects, managing a total budget of over $28 billion.
This year, the IWL's annual Luncheon will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at the Metropolitan Club, 1 East 60th Street. There will be silent and live auctions, raffles, awards and special presentations.
The Autumn in New York luncheon is our primary means of raising funds which are distributed throughout the year to children of Italian descent who are in need. For more information, email us at info@italianwelfareleague.org.
