Home - About - Our Team

Staff


Otilia Baraboi Executive Director

Otilia has over ten years of experience managing a successful cultural and educational nonprofit organization in Seattle (ARCS), as well as over eighteen years of experience teaching French language, literature, and culture at the University of Washington. Otilia holds a MA and a PhD in French Studies from the University of Washington, and a Master of Advanced Studies (DEA) in French Literature from the University of Geneva. She also received a Certificate in the Psychology of Leadership from Cornell University. She occasionally teaches Romanian literature and film at UW. She serves  on the board of the Ethnic Heritage Council and France Education Northwest.

Diane Le Lay Marketing & Programs Manager

Originally from Paris, Diane moved to Seattle after living in San Francisco, Berlin, and Geneva. She has worked in film production, film festivals, and cultural events, specializing in planning and programming for independent non-profits as well as international art organizations. Her professional experience includes the coordination and management of film shoots, film screenings, workshops, and festivals in Europe and the USA. Diane got her BA in film production in San Francisco, CA.

Aimie Shaw School Coordinator
& Instructor
Originally from Canada’s east coast, Aimie holds a BEd in FLE from Lakeahead University (2006) and a PhD in contemporary French literature from McGill University (2014). She spent the next few years teaching French language and literature at various universities throughout Canada and the USA. She has been a French instructor at AFSeattle since 2011. In January 2022, she was appointed school coordinator.
Pauline Chateau Admissions Coordinator & Instructor
Pauline was born and raised in Normandy. She received her master’s degree in French in 2017 from the University of Artois, and she has a BA in art history (2012) and an MA in management of performing arts (2014). She began teaching French in 2014 in Oklahoma City and joined AFSeattle in 2018. From January 2019 to December 2021, she also worked as AFSeattle's educational coordinator. In January 2022, she was appointed admissions coordinator. 
Anaïs Rossano Social Media & Communications Coordinator

Born in Normandy and raised in the suburbs of Paris, Anaïs moved to San Francisco in 2011, and then to Montreal, Canada where she obtained her BA in Political Science from McGill University. She graduated with a MA in International Relations from INALCO, Paris in 2017. She was an intern at the Consulate of France in Chicago, as well as a Marketing & Cultural Program intern at AFSeattle for a year.  She currently lives in Denver.

David Montero Office and Program Coordinator & Instructor
David Montero grew up near Carcassonne, in southern France. He received his Maîtrise in English from the Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier and his Master's in Romance Linguistics from the University of Washington. David is a dedicated and passionate language teacher who has been teaching either French or Spanish for over 20 years. He has experience with middle school, high school, and college students. David joined AFSeattle in 2023. 
Serena Zhu Events and Program Coordinator & Instructor
Serena’s first encounters with French as a young ballet dancer inspired a lifelong love of the language. She pursued this interest through years of study and two exchanges in France, spending time living in Normandy through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program and in Paris through Dartmouth College’s Foreign Study Program. Serena holds a BA in Computer Science modified with Neuroscience from Dartmouth, alongside a minor in Linguistics.

Instructors


Florence Bangue-Tandet Instructor &
Cultural Immersion Programs

A French native from Lille, Florence holds a bachelor’s degree in education sciences from the University of Toulouse II and a master’s degree in teaching English and French as a second language from Seattle Pacific University. She joined AFSeattle in 2010 and has been teaching at Seattle Pacific University since 2011.

Frédérique Battestini Instructor
Originally from Corsica, Frederique Battestini spent a year in Seattle as an international student after high school. She fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and never left. Inspired by a deep love for French language and culture, she started teaching and tutoring French all around Seattle Kirkland and Bellevue.  She has taught in private schools and public schools, in group settings or private lessons, and joined AFSeattle in 2023.
Linda Beck Instructor
Linda is a seasoned foreign language instructor with 15 years of experience in online course development, teaching, and college-level administration. She holds a PhD in French Studies from the University of Washington, where she also taught for 12 years, and a teaching certification from Central Washington University. She has a proactive approach to identifying individual students needs, coupled with experience as a nonprofit board member. She joined AFSeattle in 2023.
Marisol Benevides Hinckel Instructor

After graduating in Social Science in Brazil, Marisol went to University of Rouen in Normandy to become a teacher. She taught French to college and Master students, professionals, tourists, teenagers, and children. Learning through situations and real-life contexts is her teaching method. She worked for the Alliance Française in Brazil teaching and coordinating a small group of teachers. She currently lives in Texas after residing in Brazil, France and Austria.

Kélian Brosse Instructor
Based in Savoie, France, Kélian holds a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Foreign and Regional Civilizations, with a specialization in English, from the University of Savoie Mont-Blanc. He is currently working on his master’s in teaching French as a Foreign Language (FLE) and joined AFSeattle in May 2022.
Janice Brown Instructor
Janice has a BA in French and Italian from the University of Leeds, UK, and an MA in translation from French and Italian into English from the University of Westminster, London. She taught languages in London colleges for many years, mainly French and Italian but also some Spanish and English as a Foreign Language. She has taught at the Alliance since 2015.
Hailey Burgess Instructor

Hailey is excited to return to AFSeattle. She also works at the North Seattle French School, where her son has attended since preschool and is currently in 2nd grade. Hailey received her Ph.D. in French from the University of Washington in July 2018 and her MA in French literature from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2011). She grew up speaking French after attending the French American International School in Portland, OR. Being able to help others learn French and about Francophone cultures since 2009 has been a privilege and an opportunity from which she has learned a great deal, herself. À bientôt !

Giuseppa De Luca Instructor
Born in Italy, Giuseppa has been teaching French since college while earning her FLE certificates from Bordeaux, Grenoble, and Marseille. She holds a PhD in French language and literature from the University of Palermo. In 2009, she moved to the USA and has worked for several local schools and universities including Seattle University and Tacoma Community College. She joined AFSeattle in 2021.
Céline Fassetta Instructor
Born in Provence, Céline got a Master Degree in French Didactic and worked as a French teacher in Strasbourg before flying to China to teach French at a University for four years. She arrived at the Emerald State in 2017 and fell in love with its mountains and rivers. She loves learning new languages almost as much as she loves teaching French, always on the search for new material and interesting ways to help her students on their learning path. When she’s not teaching, she likes to paint and walk in nature.
Isabelle Gouni Instructor
Isabelle received a master's in Engineering from Ecole des Hautes Etudes d’Ingénieur and one in Chemistry from the University of Lille. After moving to the USA, she specialized in teaching French as a foreign language in the Bay Area and in Seattle. She joined AFSeattle’s team in 2018.
Andréa Guillemot Instructor
Born and raised near Dijon, Andréa holds a BA in English language, Literature, and culture, as well as an MA in teaching French as a foreign language from the University of Burgundy. She joined AFSeattle in 2021.
Julianna Johnson Instructor
Julianna holds a BA in French from California State University, Chico and an MA in International Communication from the University of Strasbourg. She lived in France for 4 years teaching English, going to school and working. She moved to Seattle in 2021 and also works at the University of Washington. 
Danielle Jouët-Pastré Instructor
With a French and Italian background, Danielle was born and grew up in Brazil. She holds an MA in French studies followed by a PhD in Francophone literature from State University of NY– Albany, after which she taught foreign languages for many years at public and private universities.
Michelle Kendall Instructor
Michelle Kendall has taught French for over ten years to students of all ages. She specializes in the communicative approach to language teaching. She holds a PhD in French from UC-Santa Barbara.
Estefani Spicer Instructor
Estefani grew up in Montreal, Canada, and completed her undergraduate degree in preschool, kindergarten and elementary education from French Canadian University, Université de Sherbrooke. After finishing her studies, she worked as the Lead Kindergarten and Preschool Teacher for the Montessori and Waldorf schools in the Aspen Valley. In 2021, she received the Teachers of the Year award by Summit54. In 2022, she completed the State of Colorado READ Act Literacy training and is also certified as an early childhood yoga instructor. Estefani is excited to join the AFSeattle team to share her passion for French language and Francophone cultures with the community.
Alina Ptak Instructor
Alina holds an MA in French from Paris-Sorbonne University and a second MA in French-Spanish studies from the Complutense University of Madrid. She has taught both English and French and also worked in translation and interpreting.
Lusiné Shoukourian Instructor
Lusiné began studying French in a bilingual French-Armenian school. She completed her MA in linguistics at Paul Valéry University in Montpellier and has been teaching French and Italian for over fifteen years. She is also a literary translator, having translated authors like Marguerite Yourcenar, Umberto Eco, and Italo Calvino into Armenian. 
Marii Stratter Instructor
Marii holds a BA in French philology from Tallinn University. Originally from Estonia, she lived in Toulouse for four years and spent a year in the FLE department at the Toulouse II University. A traveler at heart, Marii relocated to Los Angeles in 2012, where she taught FLE at the Alliance Française. In 2015 she moved to Idaho to enjoy a slower pace of life. 
Ana Waisman Instructor
Ana was born in Argentina and came to the USA on a Fulbright scholarship.She taught college level Spanish and French for over forty years. After she retired from college teaching, she became a certified Spanish and French interpreter for the medical and business professions. She traveled extensively throughout Europe and Latin America and also led study groups to France, Greece and England.   As an Argentinian, she has a deep knowledge of tango and is an active dancer, a Folklife performer, and a DJ in local venues.
Patrick White Instructor
Born and raised in Switzerland, Patrick obtained a M.A. in English Literature from the Université de Lausanne in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington in 2014. Since graduation, he has taught French language and literature classes at UW, the Bellevue college, the Lakeside Upper school and various other schools in the Greater Seattle Area. Patrick joined Alliance Française de Seattle in 2023.

Summer Camp Counselors 2023


Claire Conway Camp Counselor

Claire holds a B.A. in Visual Communication and French and Francophone studies from Seattle Pacific University. Since 2016 she has taught music, writing, and French, and most recently served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant France. She enjoys spending time outdoors, playing and attending concerts, and traveling. Claire is excited to join the AFSeattle team to share her passion for French language and culture with young learners in the Seattle area. 

Stefan Predoi Camp Counselor
Born in a French-speaking family, Stefan studied French and graduated from UW with a bachelor's in Linguistics in 2023. He worked as a French tutor at Everett Community College and will be participating in an ESL teaching program for students in France. Born in Romania, he moved to the US at the age of three and has continued to maintain cultural and educational connections across language barriers.
Theodore Shouse Camp Counselor

Theo grew up in Seattle and is now studying at McGill University in Montréal, where he gets to hang out with French speakers from all around the world. As a tutor, he’s given French, math, and piano lessons. Some of his favorite things are jazz and classical music, literature, and baseball. He’s excited to work with and have fun with young French learners at AFSeattle’s summer camps.