2025 Woman of the Year

Originally from Italy, Dr. Stella Plutino-Calabrese has been active in the field of International Education for more than two decades. For the last ten years, Dr. Plutino-Calabrese has been the Director of Global Education at St. John Fisher University. She expanded the international programs: promoting service-learning, internships, and other experiential learning; increased students’ participation; and worked on initiatives to promote the importance of foreign languages. In
addition to Global Education duties, she teaches Italian in the Modern Languages Department, as well as courses in the Fisher Core curriculum, Before joining St. John Fisher, Dr. Plutino-Calabrese was the director of the Casa Italiana at Nazareth University for thirteen years. Under her leadership, the Casa expanded its educational programs and attracted a growing population to enjoy the Casa’s offerings including classes, seminars, workshops, exhibits, films, and other events. Dr. Plutino-Calabrese has been awarded many honors, including the Italian American Cultural Heritage Ambassador of the Year Award and the Service to the Community Award from the Office of the Consulate of Italy of New York. Stella enjoys spending time cooking, skiing, and traveling with her husband, Christopher, and their three children, Giulia, Martina, and Richard.