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An Atlanta attorney who formerly served as honorary consul of Italy in Georgia has been knighted for his service to the country.
Ryan Kurtz of Miller & Martin PLLC was decorated as Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) during a national-day celebration in Miami May 31.
Cristiano Musillo, the recently departed consul general of Italy in Miami, knighted Mr. Kurtz on behalf of Italian President Sergio Mattarella. The order was established after World War II to honor those who had helped rebuild Italy; it was expanded and redefined in 2011 to include those who have played a role in promoting Italian culture and friendship abroad.
Mr. Kurtz worked with Mr. Musillo and previous consuls general in Miami when the attorney served in the honorary consul role from 2016-20, later relinquishing it to Rödl & Partner Italian practice leader Filiberto Calascibetta.
The Miami consulate has Georgia in its jurisdiction, and Mr. Musillo was a frequent visitor to the state in hopes of boosting economic and trade ties.
When the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast’s Georgia chapter launched in 2020, Mr. Kurtz joined as a founding board member. He also serves various Italian companies in his law practice and chairs the Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group in the World Law Group, an international alliance of firms of which Miller & Martin is a core member.
Mr. Kurtz is no stranger to community accolades. In 2017, a year into his tenure as honorary consul, he received the Dream Forward Award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta.
Learn more on Miller & Martin’s website here, or watch a video of the celebration from the Italian consulate in Miami here or embedded below:
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