Presenters

bea armand, M.ed.

Beatrice Armand has worked in French Immersion programs for nearly 20 years. She taught first, second, third, and fourth grade. She now works as a French Reading Intervention Teacher (in grades k to 2) after completing her Master of Education in TESOL five years ago. She is a certified DELF examiner/corrector and provides professional development for teachers in Prince George's County French Immersion Schools. Language and literacy are her passion.

mathieu Ausseil

Mathieu Ausseil est attaché de coopération éducative à l’Ambassade de France à Washington DC. Il administre à ce titre le French Dual Language Fund et, en partenariat avec les attachés en charge de la coopération éducative dans les consulats, définit le plan de soutien de l’Ambassade à l’enseignement bilingue francophone aux Etats-Unis. Il intervient également dans le suivi des programmes d’assistants de langue et dans la promotion de l’enseignement du français dans le K12 et dans le supérieur.

Marie Barguirdjian

Marie Barguirdjian est auteure et spécialiste en littérature jeunesse et en arts. Française née à Paris, elle vit à Montréal (Québec) depuis 25 ans. Elle donne des formations et conférences sur l'importance et la place des livres de littérature jeunesse dans l'apprentissage de la langue française.

Vanessa Bertho, M.ed.

Vanessa Bertho has lead the “Petits Penseurs” workshop at the French Alliance of New Orleans for 3 years now. She is also a French immersion teacher in 1st Grade at the International School of Louisiana, in New Orleans. She has been teaching there for 4 years. Before coming to New Orleans, she taught for 6 years in Paris to students from 3 to 10 years old. She has been working at the French Alliance of New Orleans for 3 years now as a teacher and a storyteller.

She has 2 masters in Education and History, is a certified DELF-DALF examiner/corrector, and has a certification from Ecole du Louvre. She has followed the Mindfulness training and the Kidsmart program that integrate Art and Meditation at school.

Monique Clifford, M.Ed.

Monique Clifford was born and raised in San Diego where she began her French study in high school. She discovered French Immersion Education in Manitoba, Canada, found her calling to raise her two sons bilingually, and enrolled them in The Language Academy, a public French Immersion program in San Diego founded in 1995.

After many years of being involved as a parent, Monique earned her Multiple Subjects credential and Bilingual Authorization in French. She has been teaching Kindergarten at Language Academy for 9 years. She is gratefully Project GLAD trained. Monique's continued efforts working with amazing colleagues and the French Consulate of Los Angeles are to increase prospects for continuing French proficiency through university for our students leaving K-8 programs each year, while advocating a new pathway for high school and higher education French World Language programs to meet the growing demand for Future Immersion Teachers and multilingual professionals, so that all our kids can reach their dreams and add, “Et en plus, je parle français!”

Mary Lee Dula

Mary Lee Dula is a dual-immersion teacher for Richland Avenue Elementary of Los Angeles Unified School District. She specializes in project-based learning in an immersion setting and loves finding new ways to get her students excited to learn French.

Sophia Forker

Sophia Forker is a middle and high school French teacher at the Boerum Hill School for International Studies. She is in her second year of full time teaching and third year of working with the school. She teaches all levels of French using the International Baccalaureate framework for teaching language acquisition.

"Emma" Amrein Franks

Emmanuelle "Emma" Amrein Franks is the Executive Director of the Alliance Française de Pasadena. She is a native French speaker from Strasbourg, France. She has a BA in English and a Master’s degree in French as a foreign and as a second language in schools and businesses. She was a language teacher with over a decade of experience teaching English, French, and Spanish in France and in California. Students varied from beginner to Masters level, at companies, in colleges and in language schools. She is also a DELF-DALF/TCF examiner, a translator (English-French) and a writer. She has 2 blogs : one about tips to discover California and one about the French language and culture : http://califrenchlife.com/ She became a teacher trainer certified by TV5MONDE in 2017.

She is eager to share her language knowledge and experience.

Twitter : https://twitter.com/CaliFrenchlife

Michelle Haj-Broussard, Ph.D.

Dr. Michelle Haj-Broussard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. A recipient of the Chevalier of the Order of the Palmes Académiques, Michelle is the president of the Louisiana Consortium of Immersion Schools (LCIS), on the executive board of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), and an active committee member of the CODOFIL Education committee which works to expand French Immersion and professional development for immersion teachers. She taught at the K-12 level, both French and French Immersion, for over 10 years. Michelle has taught in higher education for 15 years in a number of areas ranging from Math Methodology, Gifted Education, Foreign Language Methodology, English as a Second Language, and Immersion Methodology. She created and coordinates the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to create a French Immersion M.A.T.

chris hoenig

Chris Hoenig is a leading innovator in 21st century civics, an author, and the creator of the Watershed® project, with a mission to reinvent systems of learning to grow quality of life for all. He is a co-founder of the Citizens Alliance and the Campaign for Universal Human Responsibilities, a community fighting to grow the world we want, and avoid the one we fear, one person, one family at a time.

Chris is a citizen who lives a life of service; a visionary leader schooled in history; a practical executive with a philosophical perspective; a leader who has worked at all levels in business, government and civil society; an author with a cause; a poet who chronicles authentic inner journeys; and a father who knows love is the most powerful force on Earth.

fabrice jaumont

Fabrice Jaumont has more than 25 years of experience in international education and the development of multilingual programs. He currently serves as Education Attaché for the Embassy of France to the United States, an adjunct professor in international education at NYU Steinhardt, and a research fellow at Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme. He hosts a podcast, a blog, speaks to audiences world-wide and has published five books. The Bilingual Revolution: The Future of Education is in Two Languages, provides inspirational vignettes and practical advice for parents and educators who want to create a dual-language program in their own school. Fabrice Jaumont is the 2020 NECTFL James W. Dodge Foreign Language Advocate Award recipient.

Aby Koundoul

Aby Koundoul has worked in French Immersion programs for more than 20 years. She taught first, second, third, and fifth grade. She now works as a French Reading Intervention Teacher (in grades k to 2). She completed her Master of Education in Technology ten years ago. She is a certified DELF examiner/corrector and provides professional development for teachers in Prince George's County French Immersion Schools. She enjoys learning and teaching in an immersion setting.

Cristina Ladas

Maria Cristina Ladas is currently the Director of World Language Programs in Cave Creek Unified School District in Arizona - which include French, Spanish and Chinese Immersion models. Articulating PK-12th grade programs in CCUSD has been enriched by many local and international partnerships over the years such as the Embassy of France, Embassy of Spain, the former ASU Confucius Institute, College Board Chinese Guest Teacher Program and even the ASU Saudi Arabia J1 Scholar Initiative. Maria Cristina manages the statewide AZ DLI Network while serving as a Board Member for the AZ Language Association, ACTFL and CERCEL and enjoys the advocacy work that can propel our field of world languages forward!

Anne Lair, Ph.D.

Anne received her Ph.D in French culture and literature from the Ohio State University in 2003. She was an Associate Professor of French at the University of Northern Iowa until 2012, and then joined the University of Utah where she currently is a Professor/Lecturer of French and directs the French Basic Language Program. She is also the French Bridge Curriculum Director and French Coordinator for the State of Utah. Prior to this, she served as the Dual Language Immersion Coordinator (2013-15) and then became the Coordinator of the Secondary French Dual Immersion Program until 2018. She is the Honorary Consul of France in Utah.

Anne has been recognized professionally on several occasions. To highlight a few, she was recently honored with the Dorothy S. Ludwig Excellent in Teaching award-Post Secondary level (2020), was awarded as the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2017), and the ACTFL Nelson Brooks Award (2012).

Anne has co-authored several first and second-year textbooks (Cengage Learning).

Emilie lehr

Spécialisée dans les relations entre Didactique des langues & Médias Audiovisuels, Émilie Lehr (@lehr_emilie) oeuvre pour le développement professionnel des enseignant.e.s de FLE aux côtés de TV5MONDE et de France Éducation internationale en tant qu’experte associée. Elle travaille au développement du réseau de formateurs labellisés TV5MONDE à travers le monde et anime chaque année la formation de labellisation de l'Université d'été du BELC. Parallèlement à ses interventions, elle conçoit des formations et des ressources pédagogiques à partir de supports vidéo authentiques.

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Rebekah Lugo

Rebekah Lugo is a French Immersion educator with 15 years experience teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade social studies (in French) and recently, AP French. She is focused on creating as many opportunities for students to interact and use their French in fun and meaningful ways, especially how technology can be leveraged to boost their learning. Rebekah also mentors teachers who are new to the profession, excited to show them the joy of teaching and all the different ways they can reach their students. She is also a parent to two daughters in French Immersion education and has brought that new perspective to her teaching.

Ségolène merlet

Ségolène Merlet (@segolenemerlet) est conseillère pédagogique au sein de l'Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger, en résidence à Washington DC. Elle conseille et forme depuis 4 ans les enseignants d'écoles primaires homologuées aux programmes français aux Etats-Unis et au Canada. Elle est enseignante et formatrice en France depuis 22 ans. Elle pilote le projet "Prix Albertine Jeunesse" depuis 3 ans, un prix littéraire jeunesse bilingue français-anglais

Nicole Naditz

Nicole Naditz (@NicoleNaditz) is a Program Specialist for Instructional Technology and World Languages for San Juan Unified School District. Prior to that role, Nicole taught French for 25 years in public and private schools, grades 3-12. She is a sought-after facilitator of professional learning for world language pedagogy and she was the 2015 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, Apple Learning Academy Specialist, and Google Certified Innovator and Trainer.

Cecile nedellec, Ph.D.

Dr. Cecile Nedellec is a program specialist at San Diego State University's Language Acquisition Resource Center (LARC). She contributes to the planning and implementation of activities, coordinates project resources, and liaises with project stakeholders to collect and disseminate project information. She currently teaches French at Patrick Henry High School. She is a National Board-Certified French Teacher & a CWLP fellow. Dr. Nedellec is also a mentor for the induction program.

Olivier Ngo

Olivier Ngo is the Higher Education and French Language Attaché at the French Consulate in Los Angeles (@FranceinLA) where he works to promote French language and to develop academic partnerships between the United States and France.

The mission of the French Embassy’s Cultural Services (@SpeakFrenchinLA) is to strengthen the presence of the French language in American primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools and to support research projects in Humanities and Social Sciences departments.

Sophie Othman

Sophie Othman est maître de conférences au Centre de linguistique appliquée de l'université de Franche-Comté. Elle est membre du laboratoire Elliadd (éditions, langages, littératures, informatique, arts, didactiques, discours) et membre associée du laboratoire Lidilem de l'université Grenoble Alpes. Après une thèse sur l'intégration des TIC dans la formation des enseignants, elle a participé au pilotage de différents projets numériques nationaux, européens et internationaux. Elle s'intéresse aujourd'hui aux modalités d'encadrement et de scénarisation pédagogique dans les dispositifs de formation en ligne.

Kyra Pahlen

Polyglot. International family background, lived and worked in many countries. Expert in business development. Licensed media and publishing rights (i.e. Superman films); working with top comic book authors and brands; co-created comic on blockchain. Award-winning author, now in technology. Specializing in wrapping education with engaging media. Classic background. Founder and CEO of LingoZING!

François Petit-Perrin

François Petit-Perrin is a French and Social Studies teacher at the New York French American Charter School (NYFACS). He has taught at NYFACS, in Harlem (NY) since he arrived in the US seven years ago. In France, he taught Social Studies in middle and high school for eight years.

Blake Ramsey

Blake Ramsey is the founding FDL Coordinator and teacher at Public Middle School Fort Greene Preparatory Academy in Brooklyn, NY. He has serviced the communities of four NYC Department of Education Public Schools as a French Dual Language Program Coordinator (K-5; 6-12; 6-8), Language Acquisition Instructional Coach (Grade 6-12), Literacy Coach (K-5) and French Dual Language Teacher. His practice is grounded in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Equity in Education.

Gregg Roberts

Gregg is the Director of Dual Language Studies for American Councils of International Education in Washington DC. He retired from the World Language & Dual Language Immersion Specialist for the Utah State Board of Education.

His work with the Utah Legislature and Governor’s office led to groundbreaking changes in the way world languages are viewed and funded within the state’s K-12 schools. The K-12 program he designed with his team is being used as a model of innovative world-language education nationally and internationally. In the process, he directed the development of K-12 immersion curricula, the establishment of proficiency targets for all grade levels and DLI languages (Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish), a comprehensive assessment program comprised of internal and external assessments, and a job-embedded professional development program and support system in those languages.

Gregg has taught at both the secondary and university levels. He also served as a school district and state education administrator. In addition, he has been a member of K-12 school accreditation teams and has overseen DLI program evaluations. Gregg was named the 2009 National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Language State Supervisor of the Year, the 2015 ACTFL Leo Benardo Award for Innovation in K-12 Language Education, and he is a recipient of the Palms Académiques from the French Government.

AMANDA SEEWALD

Amanda Seewald is owner of MARACAS Language Programs/Learning Kaleidoscope Consulting and author of the MARACAS Easy Reader Series. She is President elect of JNCL-NCLIS, the national advocacy organization for language policy. As a constant advocate, educator, teacher coach, and curriculum developer for over 20 years, focused on early language learning as well as dual language immersion education, Amanda was awarded the 2020 NECTFL Nelson H. Brooks Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Profession.

Tina simon

Tina Simon is a French Dual-Language elementary school teacher in Brooklyn and a parent of three French-American children who are currently enrolled in bilingual programs. Having spent the first 18 of her life in Cameroon, Nepal, and Madagascar, she has a deeply rooted understanding and appreciation of the benefits of multilingualism and cultural diversity. As a 5th grade teacher in her current school, she is at the center of the reflection on (a) what the outcomes of Dual-Language elementary education can and should be, and (b) what a middle and high school Dual-Language education might look like in the public school system.

Valerie Sun, Ed.D.

Valerie Sun (@MlleValsunshine) is a dual-immersion and edtech consultant at EmpowerED Consulting. As a progressive, techy educator of thirteen years in private and public schools across elementary and post-secondary education, she developed a tech-infused French dual-immersion curriculum in Glendale Unified School District. She is a certified TV5MONDE trainer, a certified DELF-DALF examiner/corrector, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, a Google Certified Educator - Levels 1 & 2, and an Apple Teacher.

Valerie's dissertation titled Dueling Complexities: Experiences of Dual-Lang Immersion Teachers, focused on dual-immersion teacher experiences. Her goal is to support immersion teachers in their craft as language and culture ambassadors.

Valerie Theriez

Valérie Thériez partage son travail et ses créations avec le Département de l’éducation de l’Etat de Louisiane, le CODOFIL, la Communauté Française de Belgique en Louisiane et l’Université de l’Etat de la Louisiane depuis des années. Elle a reçu les titres de

• 2011 LACUE Region 4 Elementary Teacher of the Year

• 2013 LFLTA Teacher of the Year

• 2013 Cecilia Primary Teacher of the Year

• 2013 Louisiana State Teacher of the year

• 2018-19 1st place Louisiana Kamishibaï Contest

She was the first Foreign Teacher to represent Louisiana at SCOLT in 2014 and was the Keynote speaker at the LFLTA Conference that same year.

She is a certified DELF examiner/corrector. She is all about making learning fun !