Martine is the proud and passionate Director of Alliance Française de Cincinnati since 2013, where she enjoys creating new programs and developing new ideas for the students.
She was born and raised in the multicultural suburbs of Brussels, Belgium. She has extensive experience teaching French and Francophone culture to foreigners in the United States. She came to the United States in 1977, where she taught French for ten years in the first Immersion program in Louisiana. She moved to Kansas City to be the first Full Immersion Kindergarten Instructor and then moved to Cincinnati in 1989, where she taught in the Full immersion Program in the Cincinnati Public School School District. She received a Teaching Degree in Belgium and a B.A degree in Teaching / Montessori at Xavier University. She also obtained an E.S.L Degree from the University of Cincinnati.
She is married to Yvan Verbesselt, also a teacher at Alliance Française. They have a daughter, Gini. She also loves cooking with beer and wine, taking photos at events, traveling, reading, and watching movies. She loves being a grandmother to Maxwell, her two-year-old grandson who lives in the UK.
Hi, my name is Matthias. I’m from Toulouse, a beautiful town in the southwest of France. I’m 41 and am passionate about everything that flies. With my family, we moved from Paris to Cincinnati in October of 2024. I’m curious and always pleased to meet new people to mutually share our culture.
Hello everyone, my name's Jean Paul Berlestin Ella Edou.
I'm French, but I was born in Gabon. It's been two years since I moved to Mason, OH.
I have a degree in International Law and I worked for more than 20 years in a French Bank, my last role was insurance expert.
I came to the United States because my wife works for an American corporation in Mason. I am the father of 2 children and 2 cats.
And last but no least, I Iove to read, and play basketball and soccer.
Bonjour! My name is Florence Dwyer. I grew up in Nantes, France, and came to the U.S. 30 years ago. I have a PhD in French Literature from the Catholic University of America, D.C. (2004) and a Maîtrise d’anglais (Université de Nantes, 1995). Before moving to Cincinnati, I taught four years at the Alliance Française in Boston. I have been teaching French and Spanish at Thomas More University since 2006, and I am also the chair of the foreign language department.
I am passionate about the French language and culture that I love to share with my students! In my free time, I enjoy hiking with my three children, reading literature and traveling.
Jacqueline Fournier has worked for Safran and is assimilated engineer since 2008.
She started teaching French n 2008 and loves it! She wants to thank all her students for their trust and tell them how much she enjoys sharing the French language and culture with all of them.
I’m William and I recently moved to Cincinnati with my wife and our seven-year-old daughter. As a bilingual/bicultural Franco-American citizen, I grew up in Paris and spent summers with my mother’s family in New Orleans and Florida. I graduated from the University of Vermont with a major in Business Administration and minor in Mathematics.
After working in banking and corporate real estate for two major European banks, I started teaching English in France in 2010. I am now excited to teach my native French to American students. I am passionate about history, science, sports and meeting people from different backgrounds and origins. See you in the classroom.
My name is Rea Jalloul. I come from Lebanon. I moved to Cincinnati when I got married. When I was in Lebanon, I attended an American school, but my program was conducted in French. that's why I discovered my love for the French language. I obtained my Master’s Degree in French and Francophone studies from the University of Cincinnati. I enjoy spending time with my 2 kids. I also like reading, music, and traveling.
My Name is Nadia Leon. I come from Paris and after marriage, I moved to the United States in 2017. I have a son who is 3 years old. I studied sociology at the University of Paris. I worked as a nurse in France on different services like geriatric, oncology, surgery, pediatrics. During my vacation time whenever I visit Pondicherry (India), I used to teach French to the children and adults. I have always loved teaching French and sharing my knowledge with others. I like baking, traveling to different countries, cooking different kinds of food. I like to learn and explore diverse cultures and traditions. I am very happy to teach French in Alliance Française of Cincinnati.
Salut ! I’m from Quebec and grew up speaking both English and French. Over a decade ago, I moved to Cincinnati from Montreal, Qc. I graduated with honours from Concordia University with a Bachelor’s of English Literature and Creative Writing and studied languages at the CÉGEP du Vieux Montréal. When I’m not teaching French classes through l’Alliance Française, I’m a substitute teacher across three counties and a travel advisor. Currently, I live in West Chester with my husband and daughter. I love to travel, craft, write, and read.
Born near Paris, Patricia calls Saint-Briac-sur-Mer home, on the northern coast of Bretagne, where she was fortunate to spend her summers growing up. At seventeen, she came to Carson-Newman University, TN, on a tennis scholarship. What started as a one-year cultural immersion turned into 35+ years of blessed professional and personal memories in the United States! Following a successful Corporate Finance career with Procter & Gamble, Patricia, a mother of 3, worked as a freelance consultant to spend more time with family. Now a part-owner of Altix Consulting, an international boutique management consulting firm, she is thrilled to start her 4th year teaching at the Alliance Française: a perfect avenue to feed her natural passion for teaching and helping others while at the same time share her love of French language, history, and culture with her students.
Salut ! I’m from Quebec and grew up speaking both English and French. Over a decade ago, I moved to Cincinnati from Montreal, Qc. I graduated with honours from Concordia University with a Bachelor’s of English Literature and Creative Writing and studied languages at the CÉGEP du Vieux Montréal. When I’m not teaching French classes through l’Alliance Française, I’m a substitute teacher across three counties and a travel advisor. Currently, I live in West Chester with my husband and daughter. I love to travel, craft, write, and read.
Bonjour! I was born in Brussels, Belgium, reared in a Flemish/French bilingual family and environment. In 1977, I graduated as a Dutch, English, and German Teacher as Second Languages and started my teaching career as a French teacher. I live in the States since the 80’s. I became a Foreign Language Education Consultant in Louisiana, supervising teachers from Belgium, France, Quebec, and the United States. I created a French Immersion Program in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and I also co-wrote the Louisiana French as a Second Language State Curriculum Guide. I have taught Math, Science, Social studies, and English Language Arts in a French Immersion Program for The Cincinnati Public Schools. I obtained my B.S in Elementary Education from Xavier University, Cincinnati, in 1992 and a Masters in French Civilization and Literature from the University of Cincinnati (UC) in 1998. Retired from public education in 2011, I taught one semester at Xavier University. I’ve been teaching from 2012 until the present for the Alliance Française de Cincinnati and served as Institute Director from 2012 to 2014. I’m serving as a Board Member for the AF Cincinnati since 2020.
Finally, I have also been a drummer/percussionist for the local Cajun-Zydeco, New-Orleans Trad jazz band “Lagniappe” from 1992 to the present.