The Washington, D.C. Italian-American community mourns the passing of Mark Valente III on August 3. He was a President of Valente & Associates and for over 20 years gave voice to a wide range of clients, elected officials, candidates, and not-for-profit causes.
Mr. Valente was a distinguished member of the Board of the Directors of National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In a joint statement NIAF Chairman Joseph V. Del Raso and NIAF President John M. Viola said the following:
“A real champion of the Italian American community, Mark worked tirelessly to support and promote the programs at NIAF. He devoted his time and expertise as a political strategist to further advance the Foundation’s initiatives in public policy by spearheading one of NIAF’s signature programs, the NIAF-Frank J. Guarini Public Policy Forums. He secured prominent speakers and worked closely with the Italian American Congressional Delegation to ensure that members of Congress were actively involved with the Foundation.
“A proud grandson of Italian immigrants who emigrated from Abruzzo and Michigan native, he served as a prominent member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2012 and was recently nominated to serve another four years. He proudly held the leadership role as chairman of NIAF’s Public Policy and Government Relations Committee. Mark’s devotion and passion to Italian Americans was unquestionable. He exhibited unending energy, intellectual rigor and dignity in everything he did.His legacy will be long remembered with the great affection and admiration. Mark will be deeply missed by our NIAF family.”
Mr. Valente was a graduate of Villanova University’s College of Commerce and Finance, as well as the University of Detroit School of Law. Mr. Valente’s government experience began when he was elected City Councilman in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., and continued to develop through his service in the Office of Public Liaison in the Reagan White House, as well as Director of Congressional Relations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) during the George H. W. Bush Administration. Through the experience he gained working for President Reagan Mr. Valente earned a reputation as one of the nation’s top outreach and coalition strategists. (Francesco Isgro)
