Barbara has been a lifelong language learner, starting with learning Spanish as a child. She majored in French and German with a minor in Economics at Ohio State. Following that she completed a Certificate in European Studies from the Universitàt des Saarlandes and ultimately did a Masters in European Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Her 20+ year career in international development included living and working in 8 African countries. After retiring from US government service, she moved to Cincinnati in 2018 where she connected with the Alliance Française and became a board member in 2019. She continues to work on language skills and enjoys exploring new regions and countries.
Holly Cassidy was born in Colorado and grew up in South Dakota and Arizona. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from University of Connecticut in 2000, she moved to Cincinnati for a role at GE Aircraft Engines. It was with GE that she was relocated to France with her husband and children, where she began her long and continuing journey to learn French. After 5 years in Paris, she returned to Cincinnati, where she felt a deep longing for toutes les choses françaises. She was delighted to become connected with Alliance Francaise, where she has been taking classes since 2016. In addition to being a numbers-cruncher, Holly’s claim to fame is that she has been in all 50 of the United States, and has visited dozens of other countries. Nevertheless, her travel bucket list remains long.
Jude has been an Alliance Française member for the past eight years. She studied French in college and spent 10 days hiking in Provence 5 years ago. She frequently attended Alliance events and has been a Bastille Day regular. She has extensive Board experience and knowledge of working with youth and arts programs.
Hello! Bonjour ! Born in Italy and raised in Nice, France - yes, it is as "nice" as they say it is - Martine received a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Nice prior to moving to the US to pursue an MBA in Marketing at Virginia Tech as an exchange student. She's been proudly serving on the Alliance Française board since 2022 and loves sharing her native French culture. Married with two adult sons and two step children, she travels to France once or twice a year to visit one of her sons who moved to Paris in 2019. Prior to calling Cincinnati home, she's lived in several US cities in VA, MD, TX, and CA. After a 20+ year career in marketing, project management and special events. Martine has been a Realtor and investor in Cincinnati since 2015, She loves traveling, reading, French films, home projects, and time with her family and two dogs. A bientot !
Cam has served on the Board of Directors since 2020. He received his MA in French Studies in 2022 from the University of Cincinnati, where he now works as Program Director for the Humanities in the College of Arts & Sciences. He has several years of teaching experience both with the Alliance Française (Beginner, Intermediate, and Conversation Classes) and at the University of Cincinnati (Basic French 1001 and 1002). He has lived and worked in France, having taught English at the Primary and Secondary levels in Dijon and Martinique during the Academic Years of 2018-20. In his free time he likes to run, golf, garden, hike, play chess, learn and practice new languages, and keep up with his ever-growing social network of friends, family, and colleagues.
Emma’s passion for French took root at Cincinnati Country Day School and flourished at Centre College, where she majored in French and spent a transformative semester in Strasbourg living with a host family immersed in local culture. She holds an MBA from Xavier University and applies her analytical rigor as Lead Disputes Analyst at Fifth Third Bank. Emma is also pursuing her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt to sharpen her process-improvement skills. Since joining l’Alliance Française de Cincinnati, Emma has maintained her French fluency through private lessons and three sessions of the podcast class. She is thrilled to give back to this passionate community dedicated to toutes les choses françaises !
Darryl’s lifelong love affair with French language and culture began during high school in Charleston, SC, where he studied for four years under Jean Claude de Montfort (also a well-known artist). In addition to teaching and artistry, prof de Montfort also traveled summers in France, inviting interested students to join him. After spending a month traveling throughout La Belle France, Darryl knew French would be a forever thing! A career in technology consulting, family and other life’s commitments kept French studies at bay until the pandemic of 2020. With not much to do, Darryl recalled his love of French and began listening daily to Radio France and French language podcasts. He joined L’Alliance Française de Cincinnati In 2022 and became the technology chair in 2025. In addition to serving on the board, Darryl and a co-author contribute a weekly column of colloquial French expressions to the L’Alliance Française newsletter.
Ana, originally from Bogotá, Colombia, is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. Fluent in Spanish, English, and French, she enjoys promoting cultural exchange, traveling, hiking, and exploring world cuisines.