Mr. Trennert is proud of his Italian heritage and has remained committed to a number of Italian and Italian-American causes and philanthropic activities. His mother, Filomena De Sena, hails from Nola, Campagna, and his father’s mother, Catherine Ciccione, is of Abruzzese descent.

He has supported La Scuola d'Italia, The Metropolitan Opera’s Met Title program for operas in Italian, the Kairos Italy Theater, the dancing of Il Giglio to celebrate San Paolino di Nola in East Harlem, The Columbus Citizens Foundation Adopt-a-Scholar program, Georgetown University’s Institute for Italian Culture, and the documentary film A Century of Laughter about the contributions of Italian-American comedians to the entertainment world.  Both of his children attend La Scuola d’Italia in Manhattan where he remains a committed supporter.  He was a limited partner in the A.S. Roma football team and a member of the Board of Governors of The Columbus Citizens Foundation.

For his efforts Mr. Trennert was awarded the honorific of Cavaliere of the Italian Republic, receiving the Order of Merit at the Italian Consulate on June 2, 2017.  He was also co-honoree at the 66th Annual Columbus Day Parade in New York in 2010.

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La Scuola La Scuola d’Italia “Guglielmo Marconi” was founded in 1977 by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet the academic needs of Italians living in the New York City area. Thanks to an ever increasing interest on the part of the American families, La Scuola has grown into a unique bilingual and bi-curricular education institution, from the Preschool level through Liceo (grades 9-12), reflecting the best features of the Italian and American instruction systems. La Scuola is committed to fostering international understanding and openness in order to prepare students to become citizens of the world. La Scuola d’Italia is legally recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education and chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York as a private, independent, co-educational American school. The school is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). For more information about La Scuola please, click here: www.lascuoladitalia.org

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The Columbus Citizens Foundation is a non-profit organization in New York City committed to fostering an appreciation of Italian-American heritage and achievement. The Foundation, through a broad range of philanthropic and cultural activities, provides opportunities for advancement to deserving Italian-American students through various scholarship and grant programs. The Foundation organizes New York City’s annual Columbus Celebration and Columbus Day Parade, which has been held under the auspices of the Foundation since 1944. For more information about the Colombus Citizens Foundation please, click here: www.columbuscitizensfd.org

Colombus Citizens Foundation names Maria Bartiromo Grand Marshall & Jason DeSena Trennert Honoree 66th Annual Cultural Event Fall 2010 Jason DeSena Trennert, a partner at Strategas Research Partners, LLC, a leading institutional research boutique and broker-dealer that he co-founded in 2006, enjoys reading. Among the writers and thinkers he admires is the economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who once said that there are two types of economic forecasters. “The only difference,” Mr. Galbraith said, “is between those who know they don’t know and those who don’t know they don’t know.” With a small laugh, Mr. Trennert said, “I’m one of the former. One of the guiding principles at Strategas is humility. That’s so important in the financial markets today because we’ve seen that the world can change quickly.”

It’s a tradition that dates back to 1944, the year the Columbus Citizens Foundation’s predecessor organization was incorporated. On the weekend before Columbus Day, Foundation members and their guests meet in the Waldorf Astoria Grand Ballroom for an evening of friendship and entertainment that celebrates the strong bonds between Italy and the United States while raising funds for scholarships. During the evening, the Foundation pays tribute to the year’s honorees and the Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade. These men and women share several characteristics: they are leaders in their chosen fields, they are deeply committed to their families, and they are grateful for the opportunities their families have received in America, as well as the Italian heritage that they hold dear.

The Italian Job
Proof that knowledge of the Italian language can help you get ahead
Volume 22, No.1

 
As a child in Smithtown, Long Island, Jason DeSena Trennert grew up hearing Italian spoken by his mother’s family, which hailed from Naples. Inspired, he studied the language in junior high, high school and later college.

Today Trennert, 42, is founder, managing partner and chief investment strategist at Wall Street boutique firm Strategas Research Partners. Underhis guidance, the firm provides investment strategy and macroeconomic research to institutional investors. He uses his Italian often in representing clients in Milan and Lugano, an Italian-speakingregion in Switzerland.

“I’m never happier than when I’m speaking Italian in Italy to other Italians,” says Trennert, who as an adult has maintained his fluency through private lessons.

Consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top investment strategists by Institutional Investor, Trennert was listed in 2006 as one of Smart Money’s Power 30 list of the most influential people in the world of investing. A member of NIAF’s Executive Business Council, he credits his knowledge of Italian with giving him a leg up in the world of business.

“Obviously it’s a cliché, but the world is getting smaller all the time,” said Trennert, who lives in Manhattan with his wife, Bevin, and their two children. “I think also as Americans, you sometimes lose sight of the fact that it’s a great big world out there. The Italians in particular are so appreciative of anyone who speaks their language and it gives youan enormous advantage in business.”

When in Italy, Trennert — a graduate of George-town University’s School of Foreign Service who later received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School — has given interviews on CNBC Italy and Bloomberg. He is now working on growing his client base in il bel paese.“

It’s been such an important part of my life,”he said. “It’s such a beautiful culture, such a beautiful language.”

Today, Trennert is passing on his love of the language to his eight-year-old son, Dominic, who attends La Scuola d’Italia, an educational institution in New York City founded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italians living in the United States. As Trennert also serves on the school’s board, his 18-month-old daughter Marie is likely to follow in her brother’s footsteps.

“Living in Manhattan, my wife and I decided it was important that he maintain some perspective on life,” he explained of his choice in school. “La Scuolais one of the great providers of Italian sensibilities and a more European approach to education.”

Trennert’s advice to students of all ages? Study alanguage that you love. “If you make the effort to speak a language, I think in terms of developing business relationships and friendships it goes a longway,” he said. “...Although it’s important to learn language for practical reasons, it only heightens your enjoyment of a culture."

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