Thomas Chaurin
Executive Director
For the past ten years, Thomas Chaurin has held key positions in the
international network of the Alliance Française, including Pedagogical Director in Mombasa Kenya, Deputy Director in Harare Zimbabwe and Executive Director Chile where he created the Alliance Française of Valparaiso, and in Canada where he led the Alliance Française of Calgary from 2007 to 2010. Thomas Chaurin holds a Master in French as a Foreign Language. He joined the Alliance Française de Washington’s team as Executive Director on November 1st 2011.
Sophie Mededovic
Academic Director
A former art teacher, Sophie has worked at the Alliance for the past seven years. She loves photography, painting, and crafts, incorporating these into the children’s activities at the Alliance.
Sylvain Cornevaux
Cultural Program Manager
Sylvain previously worked for a French Cultural Center in Cameroon. At the Alliance Sylvain is committed to bring the modern aspects of French culture to Washingtonians… not just Versailles, Edith Piaf, and traditional wine and cheese, but even more exciting and vibrant cultural gems waiting be discovered!
Nadia Pazolis-Gabriel
Librarian
A Paris native and long-time Americanophile, Nadia met her husband-to-be in Washington DC on her 11th trip to the US in August 2001. Five years and many more trips cross the Atlantic later they were married in Takoma Park, MD, where they live. She is now working on a Masters in Library Science at the Catholic University of America. Being a part-time student and employee at the Alliance Française Library gives her many opportunities to learn and exchange ideas about librarianship and French culture.
Diane Conocchioli
Accountant
Marie-Laure K. Elliot
Development Associate
Marie-Laure was born in Aubagne, near Marseille, where she spent all of her life before moving to Washington. At l’Alliance Française de Washington since June 2009, she finds that working at l’Alliance is both exciting and challenging. Deeply in love with her chère Provence she enjoys photography, watching the stars and singing, and she never spends a day without eating her favorite thing in the world: le chocolat!
Marine Cornuet
Cultural Evetn Coordinator
Marine hails from Montpellier, France and was first immersed in the English language for 2 years in Australia as a child, and then 2 years in the UK as a student.
In 2010, she graduated in Sciences-Po Bordeaux, and moved to the US to become the Cultural assistant at the AFDC. She enjoys reading, jumping around in live concerts, walking through the city and traveling in buses.
Sylvie Buttin
Library Assistant
Sylvie is French and grew up in a region that is both magnificent and wild, Le Bretagne. She is a graphic designer and has worked in different press groups in Bretagne and Paris. She’s lived for six year in Brussels where she volunteered for a fair trade association. She’s been in Washington, DC for a year and a half now and has the pleasure of working in the library with Nadia. She’s also a children’s teacher here for French children and a “maîtresse” for very small children.
Mary Bounds
Academic Coodinator
Mary can help you choose the best class for you, whether that be a group class or private lessons. Outside of the Alliance, Mary can be caught strolling the Dupont Farmer’s Market for culinary inspiration, dancing at Joy of Motion, or engaging in acts of public literacy in Midtown.
Greta Warren
Communications Associate
Born and raised on the coast of Maine, this native New Englander enjoys a variety of activities including singing, writing and Daft Punk dance parties. Outside AFDC, she can be found gallivanting through Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan. An Ithaca College alumnus, Greta studied Culture and Communication and minored in French. After a year abroad in France, her love affair with French culture continues at Alliance Française!
Diana Murray Watts
Diana was born in Mexico, fell in love with the United States, speaks German over a Viennese coffee, sings samba tunes in Portuguese, and admires the French savoir vivre. Her passion for culture brought her to the Alliance Française, and she now uses her instinct as a journalist to report on the AF events in D.C.
