Essex County honors two Italian American leaders at heritage celebration

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. recognized Carolyn Ciccone-Granato, assistant superintendent of the Newark Board of Education, and Thomas P. Scrivo, managing partner of the O’Toole Scrivo law firm, as “Stellas della Contea di Essex” (Stars of Essex County) during the 2024 Essex County Italian American Heritage Month celebration on Friday, Nov. 1 in the Essex County Martin Luther King Jr. Justice Building. The honor recognizes their commitment to improving the lives of residents and community involvement.
“Our celebration is an opportunity to recognize the contributions that Italian Americans have made to the history and culture of Essex County. Today, we are honoring two proud Italian Americans who have positively impacted our world and our County,” said DiVincenzo. “Carolyn Granato and Thomas Scrivo each have made an impact on their communities and have continuously improved the quality of life for our residents.”
Granato has dedicated 34 years to educating Newark’s youth and integrating support programs for students. Starting as a teacher, she ascended to leadership roles, currently serving as Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services. In this position, she oversees programs and resources for special needs students to improve their academic success. Granato has received several awards recognizing her excellence in education and leadership.
Scrivo, a trial lawyer, previously served as chief counsel to Gov. Chris Christie from 2015 to 2017. He has experience in the public sector, serving as municipal attorney and special counsel to governmental entities. Scrivo is also actively involved in professional associations and has held leadership positions in the Essex County Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association, and Seton Hall Law School. Additionally, he has dedicated time to philanthropy, chairing the Essex County Heart Walk, which raised over $500,000 for the American Heart Association.
Both honorees expressed gratitude for the recognition. “This is so humbling and means so much because it comes from people who I admire so much. There are two things in my life that I am especially proud of, and those are being an Italian American and working as an educator,” said Ciccone-Granato. Scrivo added, “I am deeply touched by this recognition and even more humbled looking at the previous recipients. I am thrilled to accept this from Joe DiVincenzo because he is making sure that our Italian heritage does not become a faded memory.”
The Essex County Italian Heritage Celebration is part of a yearlong series of programs initiated by DiVincenzo to raise awareness about and celebrate the county’s diversity.
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Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by NJ Advance Media staff.