Board of Trustees

About Us

Main Menu

Welcome!
Mission and Values
Strategic Priorities
Faculty and Staff
Board of Trustees
Contact
Employment

Executive Board

Board Chair

Jennifer Thiebaud

Jennifer is native to the Seattle area and fell in love with France when she was an exchange student at 16 years old. Her husband is a French national. Their two children graduated from NSFS in 2020 and 2022. Jennifer has a degree in international relations, and her career has included school admissions, teaching, academic advising, and event planning. For over 10 years, she has worked in the field of corporate social responsibility, first at a Fortune 500 company and currently as a director for a consultant company, working to protect human rights globally in manufacturing.

Vice Chair

Debby Orsini

Debby lived in Washington, D.C. until 2020 when she moved to Seattle to live with her daughter and 3 grandsons who are NSFS students. She retired in 2021 after 30 years in international development, with travels to over 100 countries focusing on strategic planning and program evaluation. Debby studied in Paris for two years and enjoyed using her language skills in her development work in francophone countries. She is a firm believer in the value of bilingual and cross-cultural education. She enrolled her six daughters in the Lycée Rochambeau in Washington, D.C., where she also served as head of the parents’ association and board member for six years.

Secretary

Jenny Fox

French was the only world language offered at Jenny’s middle school in suburban Maryland, and she hasn’t looked back. After college, including a junior year in Paris, she lived in Seattle and Durango, Colorado before spending a year teaching English in France, near Lyon. After returning stateside and earning a master’s degree in French studies at New York University, she and her husband settled back in Seattle. Jenny has worked in editorial and communications roles at organizations around the city, currently at a local independent school. She and her husband and two daughters have loved being part of NSFS since 2014.

Finance Chair

Nate Kimball

Nate was born and raised in Seattle. His French journey began in high school and continues to this day. While centered in the Pacific Northwest, Nate has spent time in Iowa and Texas as well as France. His partner is a French national and their one child is at NSFS–-bilingual education is important! Nate holds an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and has held engineering, planning, and management roles in telecommunications. In his free time, Nate enjoys family, friends, and travel.

Treasurer

Renata Parente

Renata is French-Brazilian, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has lived in Seattle since 2010 after living in Chile, Portugal, India, Egypt, and France where she finished high school and started college. In every country she lived, she attended immersive French schools creating a strong connection with the French community and culture. Renata earned a General Engineering degree from EPF Ecole d’ingenieurs in France and a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, FL. She has worked in multiple design and production engineering roles in the automotive and aerospace industry in France and the USA. Her son started attending NSFS in Kindergarten in 2020. In her free time, she enjoys travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Operational Board

Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Chair
Vivian Sovran

community co-chair

Royce Napolitino

Royce moved to the Puget Sound area in the late 90s from Idaho. He settled in Edmonds where he lives with his wife Heidi, who has nurtured the French language in their home with their daughter, a student at NSFS since 2020. He has a career in municipal government, but his passion has always been the arts: music, storytelling, language and other creative artforms. Royce is a singer and actor, having performed in numerous musical productions and performances in the Puget Sound area. Being civic-minded and community-driven, Royce believes in supporting what you love and where you live. He is bringing creativity and inspiration to NSFS and its community.

Community co-chair

Kristin Stein

Kristin is originally from Texas and she and her family have been a part of NSFS since they moved to Seattle in 2020. She and her husband have lived in many places, most recently the Republic of Congo where their two daughters were immersed in the French language. She believes in the value of bilingual education and working to be a citizen of the world. Kristin was a part of the US Peace Corps program in Eswatini where she helped grow a local nursing school and has worked as a registered nurse at various children’s hospitals. She now works at a pediatric clinical research center. In her travels and moving around, she became passionate about plugging in wherever you land and the strength of community.

Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Chair

Vivian Sovran

Vivian (she/her) grew up in Sudbury, Ontario, and loved studying languages in school, but it wasn’t until she attended McGill University and immersed herself in Montreal’s bilingual culture that she realized how amazing it is to have day to day multilingual interactions. She moved to Seattle in 2002 to attend school and has been practicing primary care naturopathic family medicine since 2007. She is passionate about bilingual education and believes that a second language is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child. Her daughter joined NSFS as a member of the first preschool class in 2015. When she gets the chance, Vivian loves making wearable art, singing and dancing, traveling, and catching up with dear friends.

Fundraising Chair

Margaux Eng

Margaux (she/her) was born and raised in Seattle. She attended Seattle Public Schools and the University of Washington, and pursued a career in technology. Her husband is French, and she and her husband decided to raise their two sons as bilingual in French and English. In her free time, Margaux enjoys working with non-profit organizations in the areas of affordable housing, sustainable living and education as well as spending time with her family, traveling and eating!

Facilities Chair

Ludovic Guerrand

Born in France, Ludovic moved to the United States in the late 90’s to complete his flight training and become a pilot. He subsequently changed career and attended college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for a degree in nuclear engineering. In the interim he got married to Jessica who works in the medical field and is originally from Seattle. They moved back to the Pacific Northwest in 2018 and enrolled their two children at NSFS.

Board Member

Sonia Pagni

Sonia was born and raised in Marseille. She would never have thought of moving to the United States, but her husband had a job opportunity in San Diego in 2010, and then in Seattle in 2013. She’s been here ever since. Moving to the U.S. was a great opportunity for Sonia to improve her English and discover new interests. In France, she worked as an assistant technician in chemistry, but after moving to San Diego, she earned a certificate in baking. Sonia also enjoys bird watching and collecting Lego.

BOARD MEMBER

Elliot Flautt

Elliot became Seattleite in 2017 and lives in Ballard with his wife. He is a graduate of the Atlanta International School where he completed his International Baccalaureate Bilingual Diploma in French. A bilingual speaker of French and English, Elliot then taught both languages at a primary school in Rwanda. In his free time, Elliot enjoys hiking, cross country skiing, and exploring the Pacific Northwest. Elliot currently works as a Director at Tyler Technologies.

Advisory Board

Founder - Alumni

Celia Beasley

Born to an American father and French mother, Celia is a native of Oakland, CA, where she attended Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley for nine years, including as a student in the school’s pioneering middle school class. The global perspective Celia acquired and the lifelong friendships she fostered there made her passionate about giving a similar experience to her own children, as well as others. Her daughter was part of the pioneering class in 2013. Her son graduated in 2022. Celia works as a multimedia professional, producing and editing film, television and video.

Founder

Virginie Volpe

Born and raised in France, Virginie first came to Seattle to attend Shoreline Community College. She then attended Seattle University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in international business and also met her husband, a Seattle native. After several years working in the semiconductor industry, Virginie acquired a Six Sigma Certification, and in 2008, became president of Volpaia Consulting LLC. Virginie has two children who both attended NSFS from K to 5th grade.

Fundraising

Kirk W. Laughlin

Kirk has been a fundraiser in the Seattle area since 1994 and has worked in the independent school sector since 2017 when he joined Academy for Precision Learning as Director of Advancement. Previously, he led fundraising, community relations and government affairs for organizations such as Seattle Children’s Museum, The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., Youth Eastside Services and Pacific Science Center. He holds a BA and MA in English from the University of Idaho and a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. And he has been a nonprofit board trustee and advisory council member for local and regional nonprofits for over 10 years, including The Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the University District Rotary Club. Kirk enjoys long-distance running and would love to talk with you about Star Trek and Blade Runner trivia. He lives in North Seattle with his sons and wife.

Finance

Donna Clawson

Originally from Poland, Donna has lived and worked in New York, Paris and London before moving to Seattle in 2018. Her experiences include organizations like Finastra, Wellcome Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Ernst & Young LLP, and she is now the Chief Financial Officer for FISW (French Immersion School of Washington). She holds a Master of Science in Accountancy/Business from St. John’s University in New York. She is also a Certified Public Accountant. Donna enjoys exploring beautiful PNW, photography, performing arts, literature, cooking, and baking; ideally spending ‘freeish’ time by sharing these passions with her two daughters and her husband.

Human Resources

Josh Tintes

Founders

Founder - Alumni

Celia Beasley

Founder

Paul Olivier

Paul is a dual citizen, born and raised in Toronto, Canada to an American mother and French father. He spearheaded the committee to find a permanent home for NSFS, and his older daughter was part of the pioneering class in 2013. As a professional, Paul splits his time between working as a scientist and inventor and as an entrepreneur raising funding in a start-up biotech company. Paul enjoys family outdoor time, cooking, parenting, and making lattes for his wonderful wife every morning. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in molecular biology and genetics.

Founder

Dana Short

Prior to joining the NSFS team in the spring of 2013, Dana worked in the fashion industry for 28 years, most recently as a regional account coordinator and customer service trainer for a Fortune 500 company. If asked, Dana would tell you that the highlight of her career is when she began working at the Ecole Bilingue de Seattle, where she happily gets paid in hugs. Dana served on the Executive Board of Directors for three years, with a focus on communications, administration and the launch of the maternelle program (preschool). In her spare time, Dana likes to dream up crazy adventures for her husband and daughter.

About Us