New York Gala 2025

Nicola Bulgari was born in Rome in 1941 and has been Vice Chairman of the Bulgari Group since 1984. He is the grandson of Sotirio, a talented silversmith who founded the family's company after emigrating from his native country, Greece. Together with his brother Paolo, Chairman of the Bulgari Group, his father, Giorgio, introduced Nicola to the family business in the 1960s.

BVLGARI was founded in Rome in 1884 as a jewelry shop and progressively established itself with its magnificent jewelry creations, emblems of Italian excellence. Today, it is part of the LVMH Group. Its international success has led the company to evolve into its current role as a global and diversified player in the luxury market, with a store network in the most exclusive shopping areas worldwide and a portfolio of products and services ranging from jewelry and watches to accessories, perfumes, and hotels.

A keen coin collector, Nicola Bulgari made a substantial contribution to one of the company's major and most successful aesthetic trends of those years — the creation of jewels incorporating such “gems.” He continued a well-established classical tradition (coins were lavishly used in the ancient world as adorning elements) while achieving modern and original results.

Since then, Nicola has become a world-renowned collector of antique silver. He has personally acquired, at auction, several rare examples of silver pieces from the Roman school, which are currently on exhibit in the Via dei Condotti flagship store. Indeed, his passion for silver was reflected in his mission from his early years with the company — to establish a substantial collection of silver items manufactured by BVLGARI, where technical perfection meets contemporary design and function. Nicola is also an avid collector of contemporary art and vintage American automobiles and is passionate about classical music.

Nicola Bulgari, recipient of the JCU Frank J. Guarini Medal for Leadership in Philanthropic Engagement, is a committed philanthropist and a supporter of young talent in numerous spheres of the arts worldwide. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Hall since 2007, and starting in May 2015, he joined the Board of Directors of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, one of the most important musical foundations in the world. His dedication to both the arts and charitable endeavors continues to influence the global cultural landscape.

Comm. Sal Salibello, Chair
Certified Public Accountant
Vice Chairman, National Italian American Foundation
New York, NY

Comm. Avv. Frank J. Desiderio, Vice Chair
Partner, Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP
New York, NY

Cav. Prof. Portia Anne Prebys, Vice Chair
President, Association of American College and University Programs in Italy
Curator, Centro Studi Bassaniani, Ferrara
Rome, Italy

Comm. Stefano Acunto
President, Beacon Intl Group, Inc.
Greenwich, CT

Cav. Lav. A. Reza Arabnia
Chairman and CEO, GECOFIN S.p.A.
Milan, Italy

Robert Leon Buly, M.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery
Weil Medical College of Cornell University
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, NY

Cav. Vivian Cardia
President, Vivicar, LLC
New York, NY

Mr. William A. Cavendish
President and CEO, Healthcap S.r.l.
Rome, Italy

Mr. James Colucci
President and CEO, Gurkha Cigar Group
Tamarac, FL

Frà John T. Dunlap, Esq.
Attorney at Law, Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller, LLP
New York, NY

Mr. Frank L. Fekete
Managing Partner, Mandel, Fekete & Bloom CPAs
Jersey City, NJ

Mrs. Kristin Frohring Kushlan Finkelstein
Founder, ShareBaby, Inc.
Reisterstown, MD

Ms. Paula Frohring
Frohring Foundation
Annapolis, MD

Angelo J. Genova, Esq.
Chairman and Managing Partner, Genova Burns LLC
Newark, NJ

Avv. Prof. Lucio Ghia
Ghia Law Firm
Rome, Italy

Hon. Frank J. Guarini, Chair Emeritus
Attorney at Law, Guarini & Guarini
Former Member of Congress
Jersey City, NJ

Dr. Munr Kazmir
Founder and CEO, Direct Meds
CEO, Quality Home Health Care
Leonia, NJ

Alexandria J. Maloney, MPA
Young Alumni Trustee
Former Member of Congress
Jersey City, NJ

Hon. William J. Martini
U.S. District Court Judge
Former Member of Congress
Newark, NJ

Ms. Carol M. Maurer
Partner, Guarini and Guarini
Jersey City, NJ

Ms. Amy Mazzolin
Managing Partner, Mazzolin Family Limited Partnership
Chairman of the Board, Rex Carton Company, Inc.
Chicago, IL

Mr. John Meditz
Managing Director and Co-Founder, Horizon Kinetics, LLC
New York, NY

Steve Menzies
Founder and Chairman, Applied Underwriters
National Corporate and Philanthropic Leader
New York, NY

Mr. Alexander Mirabella
Commissioner, Union County Board of Commissioners
Elizabeth, NJ

Mr. Joseph A. Panepinto, Sr.
President and CEO, Panepinto Properties, Inc.
Jersey City, NJ

Dr. Franco Pavoncello
President, John Cabot University
Rome, Italy

Mr. Robert Robotti
President and CIO, Robotti & Company Advisors, LLC
New York, NY

Mr. Francesco Ruspoli
Private Banker, Banca Generali
President, John Cabot University Alumni Association
Rome, Italy

Mr. Braden Smith
President, Wintrust Private Client
Chicago, IL

Ms. Kem Turner
Project Implementation Asia Region/Funding Liaison Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome, Italy

Mr. Angelo Vivolo
Vivolo Consulting, LLC
New York, NY

Frà Richard J. Wolff, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, NHSA
New York, NY