Presenters

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.

Megan Diercks, MA

Megan Diercks (@mmediercks) is the executive director of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). Previously, she was the AATF National Bulletin Editor, the AATF Region IX (Northwest) Representative, and the Assistant National French Contest Director. Megan has taught at both the high school and post-secondary levels, most recently at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO.

Jenee Fawson, MA

Jenée Fawson (@jeneefaw) currently serves as a Spanish teacher and chair of the World Languages Department at Westmont High School in Campbell, CA. Member of the site Professional Development Committee and District Committee on Standards Based Grading. Previously worked as a language teacher in Madrid, Spain. Is passionate about student engagement, voice, and choice. Incorporates student global competencies, movement, and mindfulness into daily lessons. Holds a Masters degree in Education from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley.

"Emma" Amrein Franks

Emmanuelle Franks (@CaliFrenchLife) is the Executive Director of Alliance Française de Pasadena and a teacher trainer certified by TV5MONDE. She has a master’s degree in French as a foreign and second language and for specific purposes in schools and businesses. She also has a BA in English and French as a foreign language. In France, she was a language teacher with over a decade of experience teaching English, French and Spanish. Students varied from beginner to Masters level, at companies and in colleges. Language and teaching in an efficient and creative way are her passions, that’s why in 2012, she decided to set up her own language company in France. In 2014, she began her American career as a French and Spanish instructor. She is also a DELF / DALF and TCF examiner, a DELF/DALF examiner trainer and a translator (English-French). She has written articles in French for SwimSwam, an American magazine specialized in swimming (under the name of Emma Franks). She writes articles about French culture in Le Mag’ Fr@ncophone.

Benoît Labat

Benoît Labat is Attaché for Higher Education and French language at the French Consulate in Los Angeles (@FranceinLA). He previously worked for several years in Paris in the central administration : first at the Ministry of Education, where he participated in the management of the network of private schools and then at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. He was there first interested in European policies before working on bilateral internationalization strategies and programs, as deputy head of the cooperation programs department. Prior to joining Los Angeles in 2021, Benoît Labat served as a university attaché at the French Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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.

Catherine Ousselin, MA

Catherine Ousselin (@catherineku72) is a graduate of the University of Kansas with an M.A. in French Language and Literature and a graduate certification in Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches French 1-AP at Mount Vernon High in Washington State where she also serves as a Digital Literacy Coach for the school district. Catherine is the PNCFL President, a member of ACTFL, IALLT, ASCD, and the AATF of which she is the Director of AATF Social Media Integration and Curated Resources. She is a frequent presenter on curriculum design and technology integration at World Language conferences and a workshop facilitator around the country. Catherine was the 2017 PNCFL finalist for ACTFL Teacher of the Year.

Irene Stone

Irene Stone is the Elementary Coordinator for the Utah French Dual Language Immersion Program where she develops curriculum and trains French immersion teachers for 14 elementary schools throughout the state. She received her Bachelors and Masters in French Studies from Brigham Young University, and taught traditional and immersion French classes spanning from University to the elementary level for ten years.

For the past three years as Coordinator in the Utah Dual Immersion program, Irene has focused on helping teachers create a safe, engaging environment where students thrive and take risks in the target language.

Valerie Sun, Ed.D.

Valerie Sun (@MlleValsunshine) is a dual-immersion and edtech consultant at EmpowerED Consulting. As a progressive, techy educator since 2006 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 Trainer, and an Apple Teacher.

Valerie is a published author of Navigating Dual Immersion: A Teacher's Companion for the School Year and Beyond where she guides teachers throughout their first years of dual immersion teaching. Her 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.