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.

Nelle holds a master's degree in Middle Eastern and North African studies, a background that deepens her appreciation for the rich diversity of the French-speaking world. Her connection to French language and culture grew through coursework at the Alliance Française Kansas City (AFKC), where she discovered a welcoming community that embraces Francophone culture in its broadest, most inclusive sense. Nelle is also passionate about building connections across cultures, having spent two years volunteering with the International Rescue Committee to help refugees resettle in the United States. After the enriching experiences she has had at AFKC, Nelle is proud to support the organization's mission of strengthening the bonds between the Kansas City community and the French-speaking world.

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.

Marie-Pierre Braswell is a native of Bordeaux, France, where she grew up and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from the Université de Bordeaux 3. She has lived in the United States since 1998, building a career in banking services and the financial industry.
Trilingual in French, English, and Spanish, Marie-Pierre brings a unique cross-cultural perspective shaped by her experiences living in both France and the United States. She enjoys connecting with people from different cultures and exploring how language, traditions, and perspectives shape the way we see the world.
An avid traveler, Marie-Pierre loves discovering new destinations, experiencing different cultures, and sampling local food and wine. And coming from Bordeaux, a good glass of wine is naturally part of the experience—santé!

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. 

Michael studied French in high school and college to help his father with research on their family genealogy, a history of French fur traders in Wisconsin. Though life pulled him in other directions for years after graduating with his Computer Science degree, a first trip to France in 2023 brought it all back: the country, the culture, the language, and the food. Back home, Michael enrolled in classes at the Alliance Française Kansas City, gaining not only a stronger foundation in the language but also a welcoming francophone community. He joined the Alliance Française board to give back to the community that has embraced him so warmly.

Growing up in a bilingual Farsi-English 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 18 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 translator/interpreter.  

Contact Shieva at sghassemi@afkc.org