Leadership

Head of School 

Born in Paris and raised in a multicultural French-European background in several parts of mainland France and its overseas territories, Emmanuel TEXIER first studies English Civilization, Language and Literature at the University of Paris IV Sorbonne, before completing his studies with a Bachelor of Linguistic Engineering (Computer science applied to linguistic) at the Institut National des Langues Orientales in Paris.
After ten years working as a teacher, he becomes a Head of School in 2008 and manages several schools in France before moving abroad. He works on French Chinese educational cooperation in a Beijing University and later moves to Australia where he is the Head of School of the Lycée franco-australien in Canberra for five years until 2017.

Deputy Head of School and Campus Director • ORT

Eric SZARZYNSKI was born in the Gard region of southern France and studied at the University of Montpellier, where he obtained a double degree in modern literature and comparative literature, followed by a master's degree in modern literature. He was a teacher of literature from 1999 to 2015 and has been a director since then. He has worked in 6 academies (in metropolitan France and overseas) with High school and university students.

He loves literature, movies, sports (including scuba diving: he was a volunteer instructor in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean), travel, food and new experiences. He is excited to join the Lycée Français de San Francisco in 2021.

Director of Primary School on ASH

Christophe comes from the South of France, and the Bordeaux region. He joined us in 2019 with his family -his wife and two daughters- that formed internationally having worked in education in Japan, Belgium and Spain. Christophe was a teacher in France, bringing a special focus on sports, then became a school director for three years in France before moving to the Bay Area. He chose to join LFSF finding that the school's approach to teaching  languages echoes the experience he developed in the schools in worked in globally.

Director of Primary School in SAU

Born in the South of France, Laurent has been a Primary level teacher since September 2003. From 2011 to 2017, Laurent has trained teachers in Montpellier, before becoming director of a 9 class application school in September 2017. From 2018 to 2020, he co-managed the training science department of the Montpellier Faculty of Education and trained master's and bachelor's students, as well as first and second-degree colleagues. Passionate about sports, Laurent practices basketball, handball, football and tennis. He also enjoys the arts and was part of an amateur theater company for 5 years. Laurent is delighted to join the Lycée Français de San Francisco and to continue the work already accomplished to ensure high quality educational continuity.

Director of College Counseling

Natalie BITTON has received a bicultural and bilingual education, in French and English, in the US and in Canada. She studied neuroscience and psychology at McGill University in Montreal and received an MA in clinical psychology at JFK University in California. She holds certifications in college counseling from UCLA and Harvard, and a Mindfulness Teacher Certification from Mindful Schools (www.mindfulschools.org). She lectures nationwide on topics of the teenage brain, mindfulness and teenage developmental models of college counseling and has developed numerous programs incorporating mindfulness practices into college admissions programs.

Director of Finance

Born and raised in the North of France, Armelle studied in Lille and got a master degree in corporate finance. She then moved to Paris, to work in banking, first on the money market and later as a corporate Banker at Société Générale. In between, she enjoyed discovering the pharmaceutical industry as a finance treasurer. It was in Milan (Italy), she stayed there 6 years and learned the language fluently. 

Five years ago she moved to San Francisco and worked for several companies before enthusiastically accepting her position at LFSF, a not for profit education institution that her 4 kids went to or go to. Her youngest, Blanche, is in the Ortega campus this year. Besides her role as a mom and her work, Armelle loves cooking and reading - she participates in two book clubs, one for books and another one for comic books. She also likes to go for a run or a nice walk on Ocean Beach.

Director of Advancement

Nathalie HAUTAVOINE has been working at Lycée Français de San Francisco since 1996 at the very beginning of the Advancement Department. Dedicated to the institution and the education it brings to its students, the primary responsibility of the Advancement director is to collect funds through fundraising campaigns and events to support the school with innovative projects. 

Director of Communication + Marketing

Agnes HOGAN joined LFSF in 2016 as Director of Enrollment Management and Communication. Agnes has an education in business and marketing, as well as graphic design and communication. After developing her own marketing and graphic design studio in the Washington DC area, she joined Rochambeau, the French International School as their Communications Specialist. As she had left her heart in San Francisco, she was happy to return to LFSF where she had worked for 10+ years in admissions. She brings to our school an extensive experience in enrollment management, marketing and communication, with a proven track record in strengthening enrollment.

IT Director

Fabian Mach has worked for 4 years in the LFSF Communication and Marketing dept. In addition to his core projects, he spearheaded multiple technical installations for the school such as the digital signage, and to address pandemic specific issues, contact tracing and zoom rooms on Ortega campus. 

He has an extensive technological background as an IT consultant and helped multiple businesses with their technological and application needs. 

A people’s person, he focuses on listening and identifying one’s needs before finding solutions that ultimately improve their experience. 

Educated in France and Germany, he is perfectly trilingual. His 19-year-old twins were both LFSF lifers and graduated in 2020.

Alejandra Navarro (she/her) is a life-long learner, educator and passionate advocate for marginalized voices. Prior to joining LFSF, she served as a second grade teacher at Woodland School in Portola Valley, in addition to teaching in the Spanish immersion program in the Menlo-Atherton School District. In those roles, she led DEIJ initiatives, including employee programming, curriculum development, socio-emotional learning and parent education. Alejandra has over 20 years experience working in international environments where she has developed collaborative communication practices that help her to connect people from diverse backgrounds. As an educator, Alejandra brings a passion for equity, student centered learning and culturally responsive instruction. 

Director of Facilities

Born in Mexico, Cupertino PALESTINA moved to the Bay Area in 1998. Passionate about food and creating new flavors, his first job was at a French-Vietnamese restaurant. He then met an independent constructor and started working with him on the weekends. Being a quick learner, he became a full time general independent constructor himself soon after. Plumbing, carpentry, electricity... he can do it all! Cupertino started to make some repair work for the LFSF in 2007 before joining the Facilities Team in 2008 and becoming its Director in 2019. He loves cooking, horseback riding and enjoys working collaboratively with people.

Admissions Director

Mireille grew up in the Paris region. She owns a BA in Education and Training as well as a primary teaching degree. Her teaching career started in France in 2004 and took her to Los Angeles, San Francisco and London. In 2015, led by her entrepreneurial mindset and her desire to promote high quality early childhood education, she founded and operated a French immersion preschool in San Mateo. Mireille loves photography and the great outdoors, she is also part of the LFSF amateur theater troupe.

She joined the admissions team in 2021 and is delighted to guide families through the process of choosing the best education for their children. 

Director of AES and Camps

Stanley ZELPHIN joined the LFSF in June, 2021. He arrived in the Bay Area in September 2019.  Before joining LFSF, Stanley served as a Director of L’ecole de la Deuxième Chance in Val d’Oise, France where he worked for four years as a teacher, basketball player and coach. Stanley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Montpelier and has a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. He is actively involved in several international charity organizations and is passionate about arts and sports education.