FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

(Washington, DC – March 14, 2005) Salvatore J. Zizza, chairman of Hallmark Electrical Supplies Corporation, has been elected president of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). The elections for the 2005-2009 term were held March 11 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Mr. Zizza previously served as NIAF vice chairman (1999-2005). He succeeds Joseph R. Cerrell, who has been elected NIAF vice chairman.

An investor in several private entities and real estate holdings, Mr. Zizza bought NICO Construction Company Inc. in 1978 and was president and CFO until 1985, when NICO merged with The LVI Group Inc. Prior to joining the LVI Group Inc., he was an independent financial consultant and had been a leading officer of Chemical Bank in New York City.

Mr. Zizza is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York; Young Mortgage Bankers Association; The Columbus Club; and the New York Athletic Club. He serves as a board of director of: The Gabelli Asset Fund; The Gabelli Convertible Securities Fund; The Gabelli Equity Trust; The Gabelli Global Multimedia and Trust; The Gabelli Growth Fund; The Gabelli Utility Fund; Hollis Eden Pharmaceuticals; Bion Environmental Technologies Inc.; St. David’s School, Board of Trustees; and Bethlehem Advanced Materials.

Born in Italy, Mr. Zizza immigrated to the United States at age 10. He graduated from St. John’s University with a bachelors degree in political science and a masters degree in business administration.

Mr. Zizza is joined on the board by the NIAF Chairman Dr. A. Kenneth Ciongoli and three vice chairmen: Joseph R. Cerrell, veteran political consultant and chairman of Cerrell Associates Inc.;Jerry Colangelo, CEO and chairman of the Phoenix Suns; and Vincent Viola, New York City financier and senior strategic advisor at the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The NIAF is a non-profit, non-partisan foundation dedicated to promoting the contributions of Italian Americans. NIAF serves as a voice for the Italian American community and a clearing house of information on every aspect of that community. The Foundation has a wide-range of programs that provide scholarships and grants, conferences and cultural seminars. Visit www.niaf.org