Southington UNICO Announces 2025 Gold Medal Award Recipient

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTHINGTON UNICO

Longtime community leader and avid volunteer Dawn A. Miceli has been selected as the 2025 recipient of Southington UNICO’s prestigious Gold Medal of Honor. The recognition is the organization’s highest honor.

Since 1945, the Gold Medal of Honor has been awarded to distinguished citizens in the Southington community. In making its selection for this year’s honor of the UNICO Gold Medal, the Selection Committee noted the recipient’s extensive list of involvement in civic, cultural, humanitarian aid, and public and community-focused organizations.

“Not only was Dawn involved in many of these organizations but she also took lead roles in helping build or establish programs within those organizations, which led to the betterment of our community and support for those in need,” said Gold Medal Selection Committee co-chair Mario Izzo.

Giving back to her community has long been part of Miceli’s mindset. As a former journalist, Miceli saw firsthand the inner-workings of a municipality and was motivated to get involved and use her understanding of local politics and government to help bring about change.

She served on several local boards and commissions before running for elected office and earned a seat on the Southington Planning and Zoning Commission her first time running for office. Miceli followed that up with a run for Southington Town Council and successfully served for a decade including a term as vice chairman.

“One of my favorite things about being a Town Councilor was that you got to see where there was need in our community – looking beyond my own backyard and really recognizing and addressing gaps in local services, infrastructure needs, and quality of life matters,” explained Miceli.

Her service on the Town Council allowed Miceli to spearhead myriad initiatives including an anti-vandalism campaign, a community ice rink, the White Christmas in the Community holiday celebration, bringing electrical power to a portion of the Linear Trail, and assisting the local business community via Town of Southington/Chamber of Commerce business forums and a revision to the town’s Preferred Bidding Ordinance. Miceli also helped bring the Memorial Park playscape to fruition in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Southington and the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.

The town’s Open Space program was also of interest to Miceli as she had formerly written extensively on the subject in terms of the myriad benefits inherent with preserving land. She led several new initiatives for our community, including coordinating a volunteer timber harvest at Crescent Lake for our Vo-Ag classes to receive free lumber from unhealthy trees. Miceli also wrote the mission statement for the town’s Open Space program, created the town’s first Open Space public awareness video, employed goats from Bradley Farm to help maintain open space parcels, and established a pollinator garden at Novick’s Orchards. 

One of her most rewarding experiences has been her affiliation with our arts center, Southington Community Cultural Arts (SoCCA). Working alongside SoCCA founder Mary DeCroce, the two were able to raise funding to fully renovate the historic Gura Building into a showcase facility that is known throughout the state for its programming and community-building events. Miceli continues to serve as chairman of the SoCCA Board of Directors.    

Another community gem she’s been involved with since the start is the volunteer-operated and community-owned Southington Drive-In. It was Miceli’s idea to have local civic groups and non-profits host weekly drive-in nights as fundraisers for the organizations in order that the town be able to feature movies on the big screen. Miceli is a founding member of the Southington Drive-In Committee and continues to devote her time and efforts to this undertaking.

“I love being involved and helping my community,” she said. “The spirit of volunteerism in the town of Southington has always amazed and motivated me. It is a privilege to serve this great town of ours, and I love to continually seek out new ways to lend my efforts.”

Miceli, a current member and past president of Southington UNICO, was a founding member and former chair of the Southington Education Foundation, a former member of the Southington Chamber of Commerce Executive Board and chair of its Economic Development Committee, former member of the Greater New Haven Rotary Club, and past board member of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. In 2014 she was named Public Servant of the Year by the Greater New Britain Arts Alliance; in 2015 she was the Southington-Cheshire YMCA’s “Person of the Year,” and she was the 2016 Leading Lady. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award, which was issued by the Rotary Club of Southington.

In her career, Miceli is the Director of Advancement and Communications at Hamden Hall Country Day School. Prior to that, she taught journalism at Quinnipiac University. She is married to Southington native Joseph Miceli and the couple has one son, Jake Miceli.

The Gold Medal Ceremony honoring Dawn Miceli will be Wednesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club. Tickets will be available on Southington UNICO’s Facebook page and website, Southingtonunico.org, or contact Mike Fasulo at 860.860.919.6647 or Dave Zoni at 860.384.9103.

ABOUT SOUTHINGTON UNICO

Southington UNICO is a service-oriented nonprofit organization that embraces three objectives: service to fellow man and community, fostering and promoting Italian heritage, and supporting charitable educational projects.