NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Columbus Citizens Foundation today announced it has named leading financier, Alberto Cribiore as the Grand Marshal of the 71^st Columbus Day Parade, which will take place on Fifth Avenue on Monday, October 12, 2015.

The annual Columbus Day Parade, organized by the Columbus Citizens Foundation and presented by the Conair Corporation, is the world's largest celebration of Italian-American heritage and culture and the strongest representation of Italian pride, remembering back to the year 1929 when the Parade was first started.  As Grand Marshal, Mr. Cribiore will lead dozens of marching bands, floats and hundreds of performance groups up Fifth Avenue in a non-stop parade of family entertainment and Italian-American dignity.

Alberto Cribiore is Vice Chairman of Citi's Institutional Clients Group, where he holds a leadership role leveraging Citi's global network, creating access and building relationships at the highest levels of management among existing and potential clients. His work at Citi includes the investment bank as well as all capital market and alternative investment activities.  For over 40 years, Mr. Cribiore has been a leading force in the financial services industry where he marries his love of Italian culture with his keen business sense for success.  He was one of the earliest investors in the private equity sector, starting in 1975 with IFI International, the predecessor of EXOR, the Agnelli family's holding company, and has gone on to be a formidable player in the financial services world. Mr. Cribiore is actively involved with a number of philanthropic projects to further Italian American culture and education. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Reed College, serves as Advisory Director of the Metropolitan Opera Association and as Chairman of Friends of Bocconi University. Mr. Cribiore is also a member of the Council for the United States and Italy, a Director of the Italian American Foundation for Cancer Research and an overseer of the Weill Cornell Medical College. Mr. Cribiore is a magna cum laude graduate of Bocconi University in Milan, Italy and holds degrees in business administration and economics. He has served on the Board of Directors of Merrill Lynch where he served as non-executive Chairman, he also serves as a Director of various companies controlled by Brera Capital Partners, the Private Equity company he founded in 1997. 

Mr. Cribiore was born in Milan and came to the United States in 1975.  He is a strong proponent of Italian family values and spends much time with his son, daughter and granddaughter.

"Mr. Cribiore is a distinguished and widely-respected leader in global financial services, and an accomplished philanthropist," said Angelo Vivolo, President of the Columbus Citizens Foundation.  "We are delighted he has agreed to serve as our Grand Marshal and are confident he will be a driving force leading our efforts and mission to further strengthen the Italian American culture and education of our youth."

"I am honored to be named Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade, a wonderful event that pays tribute to the significant contributions Italian-Americans have made to the United States," said Mr. Cribiore. "The Celebration presents the best of Italian-American culture and heritage while raising funds for scholarships.  It is a privilege to help recognize the achievements of our ancestors and support the efforts to build a strong Italian American future."

Additionally, in the spirit of recognizing exceptional achievement in finance and philanthropic support for the Italian American community, the 2015 Columbus Day Parade will include Honorees Guy Chiarello, President of First Data Corporation and Aldo Verelli, Founder of A. Verrelli and Associates and Chairman of the Columbus Citizens Foundation College Scholarship Program.  

The Columbus Day Parade is made possible by the work of the Columbus Citizens Foundation who amass hundreds of volunteers every year to help organize it and enlist the assistance of more than 20 city agencies to support its efforts both in preparations and the many logistics involved.  It was first started in 1929 when New York City businessman and Italian immigrant Generoso Pope led a parade from East Harlem down to Columbus Circle. The parade celebrated Christopher Columbus's explorations and the achievements and contributions of Italian-Americans to the landscape of New York and the United States.

About the Columbus Citizens Foundation
The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a non-profit organization in New York City committed to fostering an appreciation of Italian-American heritage and achievement. The Foundation, through a broad range of philanthropic and cultural activities, provides opportunities for advancement to deserving Italian-American students through various scholarship and grant programs. The scholarship program helps to support the education of Italian-American students who have the intelligence and drive to succeed in school and beyond, but lack the means to reach their full potential.  In the coming school year, the Foundation is providing over $2 million in scholarship assistance to over 400 students. In 2013, the Foundation donated $256,000 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which supports American military personnel and their families, bringing its donations in support of our troops to over $750,000, and it was a lead partner in the reinstatement of the Advanced Placement Program in Italian Language and Culture with a donation of $500,000. The Foundation organizes New York City's annual Columbus Celebration and Columbus Day Parade, which has been held under the auspices of the Foundation since 1944.

Event: Columbus Day Parade
Location: Fifth Ave. from 44th – 72nd Streets
Date: Monday, October 12, 2015
Hours: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Broadcast: WABC-TV, Noon – 3:00 PM
Press Contact: Faith Paris, 917.710.2677, fparis@faithparis.com

SOURCE Columbus Citizens Foundation

Related Links

http://www.columbuscitizensfd.org