Board MemberS

The Alliance Française de Philadelphie is dependent upon its Board of Directors as its governing body.
This group of individuals guides and oversees the strategic and fiscal direction of the organization, as well as investing their time, expertise and financial support. We are deeply grateful for their leadership.

L'Alliance Française de Philadelphie est gouvernée par son Conseil d'Administration.
Les personnes qui le composent guident et supervisent les opérations fiscales, tout en donnant de leur temps, leur expertise, ainsi qu'un soutien financier. Nous sommes reconnaissants de leur engagement.

OFFICERS

Nancy Gabel President

President of the Alliance Française since 2014, Nancy spent her professional career teaching high school French and heading the Foreign Language Department in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District where she became president of the tri-state chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French. After retiring, she joined the board of Main Line School Night and served as president of the organization for several years. Mrs. Gabel was a founder of the French International School in Bala Cynwyd, served as a board member and then also as president. In 2003, Nancy was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, an honor bestowed by the French Government in recognition of her contributions to the field of education as well as her efforts to promote the French language and culture in the United States.

Lynn H. Miller Vice-president

Vice President of the Alliance Francaise, Lynn chairs the nominating committee of the board of directors. He is a professor emeritus of Political Science at Temple University, where he taught for more than thirty years. He is the author of a number of works of non-fiction as well as a novel. He is co-author of French Philadelphia (Philadelphie a la francaise in its French language edition) and, with Therese Dolan, also a board member of the Alliance, the recently published Salut! France Meets Philadelphia which was published in late 2020

Cecil Jones Treasurer

Treasurer of the Alliance Française de Philadelphie and a board member since 2000, Cecil first displayed his interest in France and French culture when - for reasons still unbeknownst to him - he chose the vineyards of Burgundy as his topic for an eight-grade term paper. Cecil’s studies of French began in high school and continued at Cornell University, at the Philadelphia Alliance Française and the Alliance Française de Paris. In 1984 he earned a Certificate in French Business Translation from La Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie à Paris.

A former state and federal prosecutor, in 1992 Cecil set aside the practice of law to found Just France, which became North America’s leading agency for the rental of upscale vacation homes in Paris and the French countryside. He later founded Just France Sales, which assists Anglophones with the acquisition and sale of property in France, and also provides advice on French property law

Matthew Cole Secretary

Secretary of the
Alliance Francaise,
Matthew Cole has served as a
member of the
Corporate
Department at Jacobs Law Group since 2008. Matthew has over 25 years’ experience in the fields of corporate, securities, and commercial real estate law. He served for many years as securities counsel to an internationally known New York Stock Exchange-listed company. He graduated from the Temple University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Matthew studied French in high school and college as well as more recently at the Alliance Française. He enjoys French food (eating and cooking), Burgundy wine and traveling regularly to France, particularly Dijon and its surroundings.

DIRECTORS

Amanda Barber
Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Amanda expressed an interest in French language and culture from the tender age of seven. She began her studies in high school, earned her BA in French from Penn State University in 2001 and her MA in French literature from the University of Delaware in 2010. As part of her studies she spent a semester at the Université d’Aix-Marseille III in Aix-en-Provence, taught French to American students at the American University in Paris and English to French university students at the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie. She has also taught French as a graduate student at the University of Delaware and as an adjunct at Villanova and the University of Pennsylvania. A recent addition to the board of the Alliance Française de Philadelphie, Amanda wishes to advance the Alliance’s mission to help people learn French and deepen their knowledge of Francophone cultures.

Danièle Cohen Grossman

Raised and educated in France, Danièle is a graduate of the Université de Strasbourg, School of Law. She later attended the Annenberg Graduate School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Interpersonal Communication and Visual Arts. She worked for many years as Director of Development for an international non-profit institution. She edited its international newsletter and authored numerous articles and grant proposals. In the past 20 years, she consulted and coached executives and professionals in public speaking and conducted workshops in media presentations. She is presently an educator and guide at the Barnes Foundation. She serves on the board of several organizations and is a former member of the Ecole Française Internationale de Philadelphie. She has been on the Board of the Alliance for over 10 years.

Sheri-Ann Cowie
She holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from New York University and a BS in International Business from the College at Plattsburgh, State University of New York. She is a certified consultant who has consulted to civilians, military officers, and emerging leaders in the public and private sectors around leadership, authority, followership, and organizational life. Dr. Cowie works as a psychotherapist and manages her psychology private practice. In her consultant role, she runs a leadership training program and has consulted to local community, educational, and cultural organizations. She is the vice president of the Board for the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems and also serves on the board for Alliance Française de Philadelphie and Arch Street Preschool.

Elizabeth Diffley

Elizabeth Diffley is a partner with the national law firm, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, where she serves as co-lead of the firm’s capital markets team. Beth is an accomplished and pragmatic adviser to public and private clients on corporate and securities matters, including capital-raising transactions, public company reporting and compliance and corporate governance. She has an accounting background and spent several years living and working in Paris. Beth is committed to gender justice, inclusive economic development and community engagement. She supports these efforts through leadership in local nonprofit organizations and has been a member of the Alliance Française de Philadelphia for nearly
15 years.

Thérèse Dolan

Emerita Professor of Art History at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Thérèse Dolan received a Ph.d in 1979 from Bryn Mawr College. She has authored many books and articles on art history, and most recently co-authored, Salut, France Meets Philadelphia in 2020 with colleague and Vice President of the Alliance Française, Lynn Miller. In 2002 she received a National Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship to study with Carolyn Abbate at Princeton University on opera and voice. She was a recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2002 and a Great Teacher Award in 2006 at Temple University. She served for two terms as chair of the Department of Art History from 1998 to 2004 and served as Interim Dean of Tyler School of Art from January 2008 to June 2009.

Michelle Erickson

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Catherine Kosman

Born and raised in France, Catherine graduated from the American University in Paris with a degree in Art History and received her certification from the American Montessori Society in New-York. After teaching for a number of years in a Montessori School in Larchmont, New York, she joined the faculty at the French American School in Larchmont, NY. Catherine was a founder of the French International School which opened its doors in 1991 and she remained there as a teacher, Program Coordinator and French Interim Head of School for one year until her retirement in 2016. She has been an intermittent member of the Board of Directors of the French International School of Philadelphia in Bala Cynwyd and was a member of the Alliance Française before joining the Board in 2016. Catherine continues to travel and stay in France every year for 3 months particularly on the Normandy coast.

Monique Laird
Monique V. Laird is a long-time dedicated francophone, a member of the Alliance Française and Le Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques. Prior to promoting francophonie, she was a senior strategist in health economics; she holds a master’s in economics from the University of Paris-Dauphine. Having earned a degree in French as a Foreign Language, she specializes in teaching and disseminating French-speaking culture in the Philadelphia region from the perspective of a French woman. Her contributions include the creation of a French-language radio program, lecturing at various colleges (University of Pennsylvania, Haverford, Bryn Mawr) and at the Alliance Française. She has served as a board member at the Alliance Française since 2008.

Philippe Poirier

Born and raised in Québec, Philippe studied Business Management at Université Laval in Québec City. With an MBA in Arts Management, he focused his career in creative work environments and the performing arts field. Also a professional ice skater, Philippe toured around the globe for 10 years with many ice show productions, before settling in Philadelphia 5 years ago. As a Philly transplant, Philippe is involved with several cultural institutions; he iis a member of the Crescendo Club Steering Committee (Curtis Institute of Music), an Ambassador for Opera Philadelphia and he also works at the newly reopened Met Philadelphia theatre. In addition, Philippe is a part-time coach and works with figure skating clubs in the area where he can share his enthusiasm and passion for ice skating. He has been a Board Member at the Alliance for 3 years.

Alicia Porter

Diana M. Regan

Former President of the Alliance Francaise, Diana retired in 1998 from the Philadelphia School System after having taught French for 35 years. She then went on to teach French and supervise student teachers at area colleges and universities. Diana completed her undergraduate studies at Rosemont College and received an M.A. in French literature from Temple University. She attended the Sorbonne, Paris to complete her graduate studies. She has held leadership positions with local, state and national foreign language organizations such as the American Association of Teachers of French, the Modern Language Association and the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association. In 1989, she received a Rockefeller Grant and published a video and workbook for classroom teachers. In 2001, she was decorated Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques and again in 2012 when she was decorated Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques. She is a very active volunteer for the Philadelphia Orchestra and chaired Opening Night of the Orchestra in 2014. The activity that is top on her list is traveling with her students to France so they can experience first hand what they have learned in the classroom.

Numa Saint Louis (P)

A devoted public servant, community advocate, and political activist, Numa works in the United States House of Representatives as a District Representative for U.S. Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-03). Numa holds a masters degree from Temple University, is a trained mediator in conflict resolution and is fluent in three languages. He is an elected member of the Democratic Ward Executive Committee in Philadelphia and remains active and engaged with several local neighborhood and civic organizations. He is a founding member of the Hatian Professionals of Philadelphia. A newer member of the Alliance, Numa joined the board in January of 2020.

Michael Scullin

A board member of the Alliance Française de Philadelphie since 2008, Michael is Honorary Consul of France in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, and former President of the Consular Corps Association of Philadelphia. He has served on the Boards of a number of non-profit organizations, including the French-American Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Global Philadelphia Association, and the Philadelphia Association of Zeta Psi, the Reading Terminal Market Merchants’ Catering Company, the FINRA Board of Arbitrators (Securities), the Global Philadelphia Association, and Philadelphia Audiences for Arts and Culture, as well as the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. In his professional life, Michael practices in the area of international, commercial and non-profit law for the Philadelphia firm McElroy Deutsch. Michael has served multiple terms as Co-Chair of the International Law Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He is also founder and director of the Lyon-Philadelphia Attorney Exchange Program. In 2005, Michael received the Presidential Medal of Honor from the Rhône Alpes region in France. He has also been listed in Super Lawyers® (2005-2006), a Thomson Reuters business, in the areas of International, Business/Corporate and Nonprofit Organizations in Pennsylvania.

Delphine Lawrence

Zabeth Teelucksingh

Current Executive Director of the Global Philadelphia Association, a non-profit designed to raise awareness of Philadelphia as a global city including the World Heritage City Project, Zabeth has more than 25 years of international business, b2b and non-profit experience. Zabeth is highly skilled in all aspects of Marketing, Communications and Branding with a global vision. She serves on several boards including USA250, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Advisory Committee, PA Humanities Council and Alliance Française. Born in Carthage, Tunisia, Zabeth was educated in boarding school in the UK and the French Lycée in London, graduating from Lancaster University with a triple major, she studied French Civilization at the Sorbonne in Paris and recently graduated with a degree in Social Impact from the The University of Pennsylvania.

Eric Tomlinson