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Recognition and credentials

A documented summary of Prof. D'Anna's career, education, awards, evaluation appointments, publications and media coverage in Italy and the United States. Every item below is backed by official documentation (curriculum vitae, ministerial appointment letters, institutional certifications, and press sources).

33+ Years teaching Mathematics and Physics, since 1993
30+ Appointments as State Exam Commissioner/President, in Italy and abroad
9th / 8,000 MAECI 2018/19 national selection for teaching abroad
2026 AIAE Teacher of the Year

Career overview

  • Vice Principal (regulatory compliance), STEM Department Coordinator & Director of the Study Abroad Program — La Scuola d'Italia "Guglielmo Marconi", New York 2025–present
  • Teacher of Mathematics and Physics — La Scuola d'Italia "Guglielmo Marconi", New York (Italian Consulate General / MAECI) 2022–present
  • Teacher of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science — IIS "G. D'Alessandro", Bagheria, Italy (permanent, full-time) 2008–2022
  • Teacher of Mathematics and Physics — Istituto Statale d'Arte "V. Ragusa e O. Kiyohara", Palermo 2007–2008
  • Teacher of Mathematics and Physics — "Gymnazium L. Saru", Bratislava, Slovakia — appointment of the Italian Embassy in Bratislava, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2001–2002
  • Teacher of Mathematics and Physics — 15+ upper-secondary schools across the Province of Palermo (Liceo Scientifico, Liceo Classico, Istituto Magistrale, Istituto d'Arte, ITC) 1993–2007
  • Adjunct Instructor of Computer Science — University of Palermo, Master's degree program in Medicine and Surgery 2004–2005

Throughout this period he also served repeatedly as tutor, facilitator and coordinator on Ministry-funded (PON/POR/FIS) educational innovation projects in mathematics, physics and information technology.

Education & qualifications

  • Master di I livello (1,500 hrs, 60 ECTS) — Intercultural teaching methodologies for secondary education — Università per Stranieri "Dante Alighieri", Reggio Calabria 2018
  • Diploma di Specializzazione biennale (3,000 hrs, 120 ECTS) — Teaching methodologies for social and learning disabilities — Università per Stranieri "Dante Alighieri", Reggio Calabria (IEE equivalency: Ph.D. in Education) 2017
  • Diploma di Specializzazione biennale (3,000 hrs, 120 ECTS) — Psycho-pedagogical methodologies for teaching/learning management — Università per Stranieri "Dante Alighieri", Reggio Calabria 2015
  • Master annuale (1,500 hrs, 60 ECTS) — Theory of Mathematical Sciences — Università Telematica "G. Marconi", Rome 2007
  • Corso di Perfezionamento Specialistico (1,500 hrs, 60 ECTS) — Learning Assessment Sciences — Consorzio Universitario ForCom 2006
  • Corso di Perfezionamento Specialistico (1,500 hrs, 60 ECTS) — Mathematics and Logic: Elements of Didactics — Consorzio Universitario ForCom 2005
  • Corso di Perfezionamento annuale — Didactics of Mathematics — Consorzio Universitario ForCom 1999
  • Corso di Perfezionamento annuale (2nd ed.) — Didactics of Physics — University of Palermo 1998
  • Corso di Perfezionamento annuale (1st ed.) — Didactics of Physics — University of Palermo 1997
  • Laurea Magistrale in Mathematics, IT applications — University of Palermo, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences 1993
  • Scientific High School Diploma — Liceo Scientifico Statale "G. D'Alessandro", Bagheria 1984

Italian teaching qualifications (Abilitazione): Class A049 Mathematics and Physics (2000) and Class A042 Computer Science (2001). Languages: Italian (native), English — C1 level, certified by ESB (English Speaking Board International), 2017.

Awards and official recognition

AIAE Teacher of the Year 2026

Award unanimously selected by the Board of Directors of the Association of Italian American Educators (AIAE), presented on May 1, 2026 at the Columbus Citizens' Foundation in Manhattan, at the 27th Annual Ceremony.

New York State Citation

Official Certificate of Recognition from the Office of the New York State Comptroller, signed by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, accompanying the AIAE Teacher of the Year award.

Judging and evaluation roles

Official appointments to evaluate the work of students and fellow educators, in Italy and abroad, spanning more than three decades.

  • Commissioner, Italian State Examinations — more than 30 appointments across upper-secondary institutions in Italy 1994–2021
  • President — State Examination Commission, Palermo 2020–2021
  • External Commissioner of Mathematics — Istituto "Arturo Dell'Oro", Valparaíso/Viña del Mar, Chile (MAECI) Nov 2023
  • External Commissioner of Mathematics — Fondazione Torino, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (MAECI) Jun 2024
  • External Commissioner of Mathematics — Istituto "Eugenio Montale", São Paulo, Brazil (MAECI) Nov 2024
  • External Commissioner of Mathematics — Istituto "Cristoforo Colombo", Buenos Aires, Argentina (MAECI) Nov 2025
  • External Commissioner of Mathematics — Istituto "Leonardo da Vinci", Bogotá, Colombia (MAECI) Jun 2026
  • Expert Member, National Teacher Recruitment Examination Commission — IT expert on the national commission for the recruitment of Italian, Latin and Ancient Greek teachers 2001
  • Instructor and Examiner — IT training course for teachers, ITC "Luigi Sturzo", Bagheria 1994
  • Member, Teacher Evaluation Committee — La Scuola d'Italia "Guglielmo Marconi", New York 2025–2026
  • Member, Teacher Evaluation Committee — IIS "G. D'Alessandro", Bagheria 2015–2018

External examiner appointments abroad are granted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) for State Examinations at Italian schools abroad.

National competitive selections

Winner — Teaching Abroad Selection (2018–2019)

National selection organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) for assignment to Italian schools abroad. Ranked 9th nationally among approximately 8,000 applicants. Attested by an official declaration from UIL Scuola Rua, with the national ranking list attached.

Expert Member — National Recruitment Commission (2001)

Appointed as an Information Technology expert member of the national commission for the competitive recruitment examination of teachers of Italian, Latin and Ancient Greek.

International Education and MAECI Assignment

Francesco D'Anna serves abroad as an Italian educator appointed through the national selection process of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). This appointment is part of Italy's institutional network for the promotion of Italian language, culture, and education internationally.

Italian educators selected by MAECI are assigned to Italian schools and educational institutions abroad to contribute to the delivery and development of Italian education outside Italy, while promoting Italian language and culture and strengthening educational and cultural ties between Italy and the host country.

MAECI assignments are awarded through a competitive national selection process and constitute official appointments within Italy's educational network abroad. Educators selected for these positions bring the Italian national educational system, curriculum, teaching standards, and professional expertise into international educational settings.

D'Anna was selected through the 2018 MAECI national selection process, in which approximately 8,000 candidates participated. He ranked 9th nationally in Mathematics and Physics and was subsequently appointed to serve in the Italian educational network abroad.

His current assignment in New York is carried out within the Italian educational network and is institutionally connected to the Consulate General of Italy in New York. His assignment includes administrative and service-related responsibilities managed through the Consulate, and specific compensation associated with his MAECI appointment is paid through the Consulate General. Requests concerning matters such as leave and official travel are submitted through the appropriate Consular administrative channels.

His current role at La Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi combines teaching Mathematics and Physics with institutional and leadership responsibilities, contributing to the implementation of Italian educational standards and to the international presence of the Italian educational system in the United States.

Publications

  • "What U.S. and International Classrooms Can Teach Us About Improving Math Instruction" — professional article, author eSchool News · May 2026
  • "Moduli di Contabilità" — secondary-school textbook, author; published and distributed nationally by Casa Editrice Le Monnier, under a 20-year first-refusal editorial contract Le Monnier · 2006

Professional memberships

European Mathematical Society (EMS)

Member since 2025.

Unione Matematica Italiana (UMI)

Member since 2007.

Press coverage

A selection of the main sources documenting his award and professional activity.

Non-exhaustive list: the complete press coverage includes over 25 outlets and channels, including radio, video and local publications.

Institutional role and initiatives

Vice Principal & STEM Coordinator

La Scuola d'Italia "Guglielmo Marconi", New York — Vice Principal for Italian regulatory compliance, STEM Department Coordinator, and Director of the Study Abroad Program (since 2025).

"Meet a Scientist"

Organizer and moderator of a scientific outreach event with Elena Giorgi, PhD, researcher in mathematical physics at Columbia University, on the mathematics of black holes (April 2023), under the patronage of the Italian Consulate General of New York.

Institutional event moderator

Organized and moderated "L'Italia nel mondo attraverso la sua lingua" (June 2026), with the Permanent Mission of Italy to the UN, the Consulate General of Italy in New York, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, and leading scholars.