The AEFE is a branch of the French Foreign Affairs Ministry that coordinates French schools abroad. The pedagogical inspectors employed by the AEFE have two levels of input : they supervise the teaching of their field of study within the global network of French schools, and they coordinate teacher training in French schools abroad within specific geographical zones. As such, Isabelle Polizzi is responsible for teacher training in the North America and Canada geographical area, and the teaching of French language, literature and philosophy.
Cameron Hall (she/her) is currently pursuing her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where she studies the development of children’s social identities, biases, and stereotypes. Much of her research focuses on understanding how children form their gender identities and learn gender stereotypes, as well as investigates possible interventions to mitigate the harmful impacts of gender bias. Cameron earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 2019. She received her Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 2023.
Mrs. Natalie Cox is Deputy Director of CampusFrance USA (works in conjunction with the Higher Education Attaché)
Mr. Jean-Christophe Dissart is Higher Education Attaché at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Emmanuel Texier is head of Lycée Français de San Francisco (and coordinator for BFI promotion in French lycées in the United States)
Mr. Bernard Luyckx is head of College international Marie de France, Montréal (and coordinator for BFI promotion in French lycées in Canada).
Jérémie Bourdon is Deputy Head & Director of Secondary of Lycée Français de New York, a renowned bilingual French independent school serving 1200 N-12 students from over 60 nationalities. With an agrégation in math and a master’s in probability and statistics, he taught for 12 years in Grandes écoles preparatory schools in Aix en Provence. In 2013, he joined the Lycée from France, first teaching math and then overseeing the school’s IT, Data and Information Systems. In 2020, he became Head of High School, and Director of Secondary-Assistant Head of School the following year, eventually leading the implementation of the new International French Baccalaureate (BFI) program. He has completed Harvard’s New & Aspiring School Leaders Institute, the Academy for International School Heads' New & Aspiring Heads Institute, and the NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring Heads.
Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, Sr., is the 23rd president of Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio), the nation’s first, private historically Black college university (HBCU).
Immediately prior to accepting the presidency, Dr. Newkirk served as interim associate vice president at Alabama A & M University in Huntsville, and he is a former president at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to his presidential appointment at Fisk, Dr. Newkirk was that university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs.
He is a native of Elizabethtown, North Carolina who initially attended North Carolina A & T, but received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Barber-Scotia College. He holds a Master of Arts degree in history from Winthrop University, a Master of Science degree from North Carolina Central University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history from Howard University.
Currently, Dr. Newkirk is writing a history of African Americans in Alabama. In another written work, “New Life for Historically Black Colleges and Universities” (HBCUs), to improve the long-term viability of HBCUs, he moves to identify their challenges, explore their management systems, and identify models of success. A noted historian, he has written extensively on crime and punishment in North Carolina. He has also authored the 2008 seminal work, “Lynching in North Carolina”, which won the 2009 Willie Parker History Award for the best non-fiction study of North Carolina.
His first priority for Wilberforce is to engage community supporters who can assist in the university’s fund-raising efforts, and solidify student retention and graduation rates which, he says along with premium academic programs, will add value to the university’s distinction among nationally ranked liberal arts colleges.
Paul C. Johnson is the 17th President of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. MINES is world-renowned for producing highly sought-after scientists and engineers, innovations, and objective analyses, especially in fields relevant to earth, energy, and the environment.
Dr. Johnson’s career reflects his strong passion for innovation, education and student success. He began his career at Shell Development in Houston, developing novel approaches for managing and restoring contaminated soil and groundwater sites. He then joined the faculty at Arizona State University to continue this work and share his experiences with students. He was attracted to the presidency at Colorado School of Mines because of its focused mission, long history of rich industry partnerships, use-inspired research programs, reputation for producing outstanding graduates, and strong alumni affinity.
He has received awards recognizing his contributions to education and research, including the Fair Distinguished Engineering Educator Award from the Water Environment Federation, the Brown and Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award in Remediation, and the National Ground Water Association’s Keith E. Anderson Award. A chemical engineer, Dr. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Davis and master’s and doctoral degrees from Princeton University.
April Ruiz is currently Dean for Academic Equity, Inclusion, & Success and serves as interim Vice President for Equity & Inclusion at Wesleyan University. Prior to this, she held other dean roles at Williams College and Yale University, all of which allowed her to serve and center FGLI students. As someone who attended a highly-selective university as a first-generation and low-income student herself, she finds meaning in work that allows her to help FGLI students navigate these institutions as they are, while also effecting change at these institutions to make them more inclusive from within. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of St Andrews and a BA in Cognitive Science from Yale University.
Dr. Nichole S. Prescott is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas System. She is responsible for leading and supporting student success initiatives system wide. Her work addresses the student success continuum, PK-20 and into the workforce, with special focus on strategy, policy, data, and partnerships. Equity-minded in her work, she targets historic inequities and systemic racism, including opportunity and achievement gaps for minoritized student populations. In 2019, Dr. Prescott was awarded the Friend of Education Award from CSOTTE, the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education. She is a proud citizen of the federally recognized Miami Nation of Oklahoma, and lives in Texas with her wife, two kids, two dogs, and four cats.
Kelly Campbell is the Interim Vice Provost, Accreditation Liaison Officer, and Co-Chief Diversity Officer at California State University, San Bernardino. She is responsible for student success, academic programs, curriculum development, the academic master plan, program review, accreditation, Graduate Studies, the Office of Academic Research, university libraries, the university strategic plan, academic scheduling, the Office of Community Engagement, the General Education program, the University Honors program, the university calendar, and DEI initiatives for Academic Affairs.
Mr. Olivier Boasson is the Head of the French schools department (USA and Canada) at French Embassy to the United States, Washington DC.
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Maria Kohnke is the Associate Vice President of Academic Services & Registrar at California Lutheran University. She has worked in the Registrar filed for 36 years. Maria has been Registrar at Cal Lutheran since Fall 1999.
Passionate about making social science relatable to real-time political events, Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto is an analyst, academic, and social scientist with expertise in campaigns and elections, immigration, Latinos, women, racial and ethnic minority politics, and political psychology. A contributor to MSNBC and Telemundo, she is currently the Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas – working with university leadership to cultivate and expand diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Victoria brings an interdisciplinary lens to understanding policy development and its intersection with institutional and political contexts. Applying high-quality social science research to on-the-ground political realities, she provides a unique, outside-the-Beltway view to today’s real-world issues. Using her nuanced understanding of key electorates – including women, Latino, and youth demographics – she thoughtfully unpacks the factors shaping the political landscape and expertly analyzes the state of the nation’s politics and elections.
For close to a decade, Victoria has been a contributor to MSNBC and NBCNews.com, as well as Telemundo. Translating social science research into more relatable information for a wide variety of audiences, Victoria has previously provided on-air analysis for CNN, Fox, PBS, Univision, NPR, and has appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. She is also published in both academic and popular outlets such as The Hill, POLITICO, and Talking Points Memo.
Previously, Victoria served as Assistant Dean of Civic Engagement at the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs. In this role, she led a portfolio to build out civic life on and off campus with programs such as the LBJ Women’s Campaign School and the LBJ Civic Engagement Certificate program. She was selected as one of the University’s Game Changing faculty and oversaw the cultivation of a space that intentionally bridges communities and further integrates the policy world with the classroom. Victoria also served on the executive committee of the University of Texas’ Center for Mexican American Studies and chaired the campus climate committee for the Provost’s Council on LGBTQ+AEI.
Named one of the top 12 scholars in the country by Diverse magazine, Victoria previously taught at Northwestern University and Rutgers and received her Ph.D. in political science from Duke University, where she was a National Science Foundation fellow. A native of Southern Arizona, Victoria is of Italian-Jewish-Mexican heritage and lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and their children.