AF d'Atlanta: French Cultural and Language Center Teachers

My name is Bernard COINTAULT. I was born just outside Paris and spent most of my life in the région parisienne. I graduated as a trilingual Translator/Interpreter in French English and Spanish from Institut Supérieur d’Interpétariat et de Traduction of Paris. As I wanted to see the world before settling down as an Interpreter. I joined Air France as a cabin attendant while continuing my work as a freelance translator. Then I joined the Alliance Française of Durban, and later Johannesburg in South Africa as a French teacher. I have been with Alliance Française of Atlanta since July 2006.

Françoise DESY is a Belgian native. She earned a Ph.D. in International Maritime and Aviation Law from the University of Brussels, Belgium. After practicing law in Brussels and being a Legal Counsel abroad, she came to Atlanta where she worked in Trade Development at the Italian Trade Commission before joining our team of professors. She is also an instructor of French at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Lionel Gall was born just outside Paris and grew up in the French Alps. He has been living in Atlanta for the past 10 years. He studied in France and Germany, where he earned a French-German Degree. He earned his Ph.D. in Literatures and Civilizations of the Anglophone World and his interdisciplinary pre-doctoral degree (DEA- Diplôme d’Études Approfondies) on classical and modern European literatures and arts, from Lyon III-Jean Moulin University, Lyon, France. He has been a full-time instructor at Georgia Tech for the past 6 years and started to teach at the Alliance Française in 2000. He is married and has two children.

Véronique HERING-française, native de Monaco, j'ai commencé à enseigner le FLE en 2004, après avoir déménagé sur Atlanta. Auparavant, j'ai travaillé pendant 15 ans en France, dans des grandes entreprises (Carrefour France, Xerox, Framatome-Areva) comme responsable des ressources humaines. Je suis titulaire d'une maîtrise de psychologie, d'un D.E.S.S. de gestion Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées a l’Institut d’Administration des Entreprises de Grenoble et d'un DAEFLE mention bien en 2007. Je suis mariée et j'ai deux garçons.

French, a native of Monaco. I started teaching French as a foreign language in 2004 after having moved to Atlanta. Previously, I worked for 15 years in France, in large businesses (Carrefour France, Xerox, Framatome-Areva) as a Human Resources Manager. I have a masters in Psychology, a graduate degree in Management (D.E.S.S.) from the Grenoble University Graduate Business institute, and a degree in Teaching French as a foreign language (DAEFLE) n May 2009, with honors. I am married and have two boys.

Vesna GALTERE is a native of Croatia. She earned her BA in French Language and Literature and General Linguistics from the University of Zagreb in Croatia. During her studies, she also lived and studied in France, at the Université Lyon II. She worked as a French teacher at AF de Zagreb and at the American School of Zagreb concurrently with Youth Radio 101, where she was journalist and Editor in Chief of the foreign language bureau. In 1996 she moved to Atlanta, where she became a Registered Court Interpreter for Croatian and Bosnian. In 1998, she joined the AF d’Atlanta team and taught French at Heritage Preparatory School until 2007. After relocation and a 4-year break, in 2010, she returned to AF d’Atlanta. Her favorite past-times are long walks or bicycle rides with her husband and their 9 year old son, as well as watching francophone and foreign movies.

Emmanuelle LENOURICHEL- I was born and raised in Normandy, France. At 21, I left for the U.S. and decided to stay. I taught in the public schools before coming to the Alliance and decided it was the best place for a French teacher. I love reading, going to parks with my husband Brian and Molière, our little beagle. I also love cooking and eating, of course. We live in Decatur and love it.

Dominique MARX - I was born and raised in Paris where I attended University and obtained my Master's degree in French at La Sorbonne Nouvelle. I taught French in Paris and in Liverpool to all levels and ages. I also have a Master's degree in Human Rssources and worked in different HR areas, from international mobility to personality tests. Coming from a multi-cultural family I have always taken a keen interest in languages and culture. Teaching languages came naturally as a true passion. I moved to Atlanta 1 year ago and have been working at the Alliance Française since October 2010. I love my job and especially my students who are kind enough to improve a lot and enjoy my class as much as I do! Learning is great but can be very challenging so I think that the environment has to be friendly. That's the reason why I enjoy working at the Alliance Française.

Catherine MASSERON - A French native raised throughout various parts of French speaking African countries and parts of Europe, I studied French Literature in Senegal. Before coming to the United States, I worked for Cartier, BMW, and participated as one of the first females to race cars in Africa. I began teaching for Alliance Française shortly after moving to Georgia and have been working here for 17 years. During those 17 years at the Alliance Française, a little over 2 of them were spent working as the Marketing Director for our partners, The German Cultural Center. In my spare time I enjoy reading, taking Italian lessons, watching TV5 Monde, and educating myself more in various facets of the French language to learn news ways of teaching. I also enjoy branching out from teaching and working on translations and voice over work. My students usually classify me as a fun and quirky teacher while I still make sure they gain a full and complete grasp of the intended material. I thoroughly enjoy teaching because not only do my students learn something from me, but I also learn a lot from my students.

Ghislaine SMITH was born and educated in Paris, France. She received her U.S. Certification at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, N.C. She has developed a curriculum from kindergarten through fifth grade for private schools and taught all levels to AP at Forsyth Country Day School and Summit School in Winston Salem. In addition, she prepares French teachers for certification. Mrs. Smith has been with Alliance Française since 1999.

Samba SY - Born and raised in Senegal, I have been living in Georgia for the past nine years. My degrees are in Political Science (from East Stroudsburg University, PA) and French, and a translation certificate (from Georgia State University, GA). I taught middle school and college foreign languages classes. I love francophone literature and movies, and in my spare time I do enjoy watching a good soccer game.

Sandrine UMUTONI- Originally from Rwanda, I have been living in Atlanta for the past nine years. I have a B.A. in International Relations from Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA), a Translation Certificate and a M.A. in French Studies from Georgia State University. Since I arrived in Atlanta, GA I have been working with students of all levels wishing to improve their knowledge of the French language and/or francophone culture. Besides my passion for foreign languages and visiting new countries, I also love spending time learning about politics and history.

Kristy WINKLER - A Georgia native, I fell in love with France while in Aix-en-Provence in 1992-93, where I studied and worked in the course of my University studies. After obtaining a BA in French from the University of Georgia, I worked in the fashion industry and taught English to international students in NYC. I also worked at the French Consulate in Atlanta in the cultural, educational and press sectors. I received my French teaching certificate from GA State University and spent three years teaching high school French. I joined the AF team in June 2010 as the Educational Director, with the added benefit of being able to continue teaching.

Marie-Claude ZAJDE - Cadre Commercial dans l’industrie pharmaceutique pendant 15 ans, à Paris, Marie-Claude a enseigné le français en entreprise à Atlanta avant de rejoindre l’équipe de l’Alliance Française. Elle aime les voyages, la lecture, le cinéma et adore faire du vélo dans la belle nature avec ses copines. Elle a obtenu son diplôme DAEFLE* en mai 2009, mention bien. Elle est mariée et a 3 enfants, Paul, Clara et Samuel.

A Sales Executive in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Paris for 15 years, she taught business French in Atlanta before joining the team at Alliance Française. She loves traveling, reading, film, and riding her bicycle in the great outdoors with her girlfriends. She finished her DAEFLE dipoma in May 2009, with honors. She is married and has three children, Paul, Clara, and Samuel.

* DAEFLE (Diplôme d’aptitude à l’enseignement du français langue étrangère) délivré par l’Alliance Francaise de Paris.