Board Members
Alliance Française of NW CT (AFNWCT) is a 501(c)(3) organization run by 10 volunteer Board Members. Officers and Board members are elected by the members and serve for a two-year term. If you are interested in becoming a Board member or volunteering to serve on a Committee, please contact the President by using the contact form.
Board Members 2023 – 2025
President
Laurent Vernillet
Laurent was born in Paris and moved to the U.S. about 20 years ago. He has lived in Connecticut for the last 10 years and works as an executive for clinical development in a Pharmaceutical company.
Vice President
John Lamb
After two years of high school French and a semester of college-level French, John finally learned to speak la plus belle langue during a year in Paris spent studying Islamic art history at the Institut d’histoire de l’art et d’archeologie on Rue Michelet. He currently works as a lawyer at a mortgage REIT in midtown Manhattan. John is an avid reader of history and also speaks Arabic and Spanish.
Secretary
Evelyne Purdy
I was raised and educated in France. I am also on the Board of the New Milford Trust for Historic Preservation and was treasurer then president of the Bridgewater Library.
Treasurer
Fran Hellman
Fran Hellmann has been a member of the chapter for 12 years. His interest in French culture stems from his interest in World war II history having family members and friends who served in France during the war. Fran has had the opportunity to accompany war vets to the beaches of Normandy giving him great exposure to the local culture and heritage and afforded him the opportunity to make new friends.
Language School Director
Nancy Callahan
I loved all things French since childhood because I grew up in a bilingual French household. I followed through with receiving a degree in French and Education. After raising my children, I taught French in After-School programs. Moving to Southbury, I became actively involved with the Alliance Francaise and followed in my mother’s footsteps and became President. I continue to teach children and I am now Language School Director.
Program Committee Co-Chair
Diane Bolduc
The Alliance Française has provided rich experiences for this lifetime bookworm/techie who is a late-in-life Francophile. I’ve been captivated by the earliest photos of Paris, the light and freedom of the Impressionists and the French focus on the exquisite present moment, so lacking in American culture.
Program Committee Co-Chair
Gilles Rousseau
Being in Alliance Française has brought me back to my birth heritage. Speaking French, celebrating French and Quebec holidays and meeting other people with similar interests has given me great enjoyment.
Membership Chairman
Pat Phelan
I became interested in learning French after a wonderful trip to Paris in 1997. As a beginner, I’ve enjoyed learning the language, making new friends and even trying petanque.
Hospitality Chairman
Kristina Jorgensen
I lived in Paris for less than a year. It changed me and I am still enriched by the intense experience. Now Alliance Français is my French family right here in the USA.
Webmaster
Dima Bessmertnyy
