Today, as Fifth Avenue turns red, white, and green for the Columbus Day Parade, the Italian American community has one more reason to be proud. Two days ago, on the stage of Carnegie Hall, Concetto “Tino” Ruta received the 2026 Italian Reputation Award, the honor that celebrates those whose work makes Italy respected around the world.
His story speaks to every Italian American family. It is the story of a name that sounds like Italy, and of a career built on the qualities generations of Italians brought to this country: grit, expertise, and a deep sense of responsibility toward others. Ruta has put those qualities to work in one of the most complex and demanding fields in America: healthcare.
As President and CEO of Knights Care Global, Ruta was honored “for building and guiding healthcare platforms across complex regulatory and cross-jurisdictional environments in the United States and Europe.” His platform brings together hospitals, institutions, capital, and technology, with operating bases in New York and Rome. It is an axis that links our city to the Eternal City and brings the best of the Italian culture of care into the American healthcare system.
The medal was presented by Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences at UNINETTUNO University and former Prefect of the Holy See’s Secretariat for Communications. It was one of the most moving moments of a ceremony that stirred the audience, especially when the children of La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi sang the Italian and American national anthems, one after the other, like two voices of the same family.
What this award means to Americans with Italian roots was best expressed by Davide Ippolito, creator of the Italian Reputation Award and founder of the Italia America Reputation Lab, in his welcome message. “A hundred years ago, for many of our fellow Italians arriving in America, being Italian was something to hide,” he wrote. “People changed their last names, tried to soften their accents, and taught their children to show less of their Italian identity, because looking and sounding more American often meant having a better chance to work, live, and be accepted.” He continued: “This country still carries the mark of those who came before us, of generations of Italians who helped build it, in many cases quite literally with their own hands. There is nothing left to hide. Being Italian is something to be proud of.”
Ruta’s award tells exactly that story. The grandparents who came through Ellis Island built America with their hands. Today their heirs lead it from boardrooms, hospitals, and universities. The circle closed when actress Alice Lussiana Parente read Emma Lazarus’s “The New Colossus,” the poem inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty that welcomed millions of Italian immigrants.
Alongside Ruta, the 2026 honorees were:
- Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who this year signed the first cultural cooperation agreement between Manhattan and the historic center of Rome;
- Andrea Mazzucchi, Rector of the University of Naples Federico II;
- Valter Quercioli, National President of Federmanager;
- entrepreneur Nick Eyde, who brought the Italian Bowl to Toledo;
- artist Aldo Gallina.
This year also marked the debut of the Future Leader Under 30 award, dedicated to young Italians making their mark in the United States.
Each honoree received a medal handcrafted by master goldsmith Marco De Luca. Inspired by ancient Roman coins, it depicts Eucleia, the Greek goddess of good repute. The evening closed with Puccini’s “Nessun dorma,” performed on piano by Maestro Francesco Pollon. Few in the hall did not feel a shiver at the final “Vincerò.”
Now in its third edition, the Italian Reputation Award is promoted by Reputation Research, RetImpresa, Campus Salute, Progetto Alfa, and IARL – Italia America Reputation Lab.
Happy Columbus Day to the entire Italian American community.
