As a nonprofit organization, AFKC is led by a team of dedicated volunteers who work to help it grow and thrive. They are supported by our Executive Director and our Course Coordinator, Shieva Gasshemi.
Isabelle was born in Versailles and raised in Lyon. She moved to the Kansas City metro area in 2011 with her husband and
their four children, who are now grown and living far away. Before settling in Shawnee, her family lived in several places around the
world, including France, Switzerland, Morocco, Taiwan, and Cupertino, Ca.
Isabelle is a pharmacist and also holds a master’s degree in management. Throughout her career, she has also led several nonprofit
organizations in France and in the USA.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking and skiing—especially in the beautiful mountains of Colorado, but also painting, photographing and
reading.
iguglielmi@afkc.org
Joseph is a writer, educator, father, husband, and dedicated francophile. A three-time US Fulbright Scholar (in philosophy, political science, and sociology), he has taught and conducted research in Berlin, Prague, Bucharest, Lodz, Brno, and Maastricht. Lewandowski is the author, most recently, of On Boxing: Critical Interventions in the Bittersweet Science. His work in political theory, sport, and urban culture has been published widely and translated into German, Polish, and Czech. An avid pugilist, theatre aficionado, and inveterate traveler, Lewandowski is pleased to serve as a member of the board of the Alliance Française de Kansas City.
Française, aux Etats Unis depuis 1999, et à Kansas City depuis 2010. Consule Honoraire pour la France à Kansas City depuis 2019.
French national, living in the United States since 1999, and in Kansas City since 2010. Honorary Consul for France in Kansas City since 2019
Dr. Kathy Krause earned her PhD in Romance languages at the University of Pennsylvania and is Emerita Professor of French and Medieval Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she taught French language, literature and culture for over 30 years. While at UMKC, she founded their summer study abroad program in Lyon, France. She also served as the Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and director of both the Women’s and Gender Studies and Medieval and Early Modern Studies programs at various times. In retirement, she continues her research and writing on topics related to women and medieval French literature and manuscripts, and has branched out recently to examine the role of French women in the founding of Kansas City. She is pleased to be able to serve on the Board of the Alliance Française de Kansas City to help share her love of the French language, French history and French culture.
Originally from Bordeaux, France, Marie moved to Kansas City two years ago. Passionate about culture and community, Marie volunteers with the Alliance Française to help organize events and support communications. Her goal is to help share and celebrate French culture in the heart of the Midwest!
Ryan M. McElderry is a senior attorney and co‑founder of House Packard McElderry, LLC, a law firm based in Liberty, Missouri, serving Kansas City and the metre. He earned his J.D. in 2013 from the UMKC School of Law. Fluent in Spanish and French, he has developed an immigration practice serving a diverse population. Outside of his legal work, he is married with three children, enjoys travel (has visited places like Mexico, Iceland, Rocky Mountain National Park, Disney World), and is active in the outdoors (hiking, tailgating at Arrowhead).
Ryan spent a lot of time pursuing mastery of the French language but feels he still has a long way to go. Having spent a lot of time in France, he loves what the Alliance stands for—bringing people together around language, culture, and every so often a good glass of wine.
Danielle Monty-Mara brings more than 20 years of global leadership experience to the Alliance Française de Kansas City (AFKC). Prior
to relocating to Kansas City, Danielle was Vice President of the Alliance Française Maseru board in Lesotho. Her professional work across
Africa has been deeply interwoven with French language and culture. In each country she lived in, Danielle was a dedicated member of the
local Alliance Française or Institut Français. She and her son benefited enormously from the rich cultural programming, bibliothèques,
and médiathèques in places such as Conakry, Ouagadougou, Dakar, Lusaka, Kinshasa, Yaoundé, Douala, Gaborone, Maseru, and Johannesburg.
Danielle’s passion for cultural exchange and community engagement continues in Kansas City, where she applies a globally informed
perspective to foster connection and learning within AFKC. She is committed to strengthening AFKC’s role in enriching our community through
the French language, arts, and cultural understanding.
Shieva is American-Iranian. Growing up in a bilingual environment, she was drawn to study languages at university. She has a BA in
French Language and Literature as well as a MA and PhD in French Didactics.
Shieva has been teaching French for over 15 years in language institutes such as Gotbe Ravandi, CLF (Language Center of the French Embassy
in Iran) and also the University of Tehran. Other than the didactic training courses in the academic curricula, she has regularly
attended training programs provided by the cultural section of the French Embassy in Tehran (CLF) and also at the Applied Linguistic
Center in Besancon, France. Shieva is also a DELF/DALF and TCF examiner. In addition to her teaching experience, she has had the
opportunity to work for embassies of multiple francophone countries as a fulltime translator/interpreter. Shieva enjoys good company,
traveling, yoga, reading and movies. In her spare time, she makes miniatures, colored pencil or pastel drawings.
Contact Shieva at sghassemi@afkc.org
We want everyone in the greater Kansas City area who shares our passion for speaking, learning and playing in French to join our community
and enjoy our French programs and events. Become a member of Alliance Française de Kansas City
for exclusive offers, member events, discounts and more.
