Meri Horn

Meri Horn has served as Manager of Development and Operations at French Heritage Society (FHS) since September 2010. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Art History and French from Bucknell University. While studying abroad in Tours, France, Meri fell in love with French decorative arts and the châteaux of the Loire Valley.

She received her Master's Degree in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from Parsons The New School for Design where she specialized in 18th-century French furniture. Prior to joining FHS, Meri served as Manager of Suzanne Golden Antiques and Senior Editor of the Decorative Arts Database at Artnet Worldwide.

At FHS, Meri is responsible for managing the financials for both the New York and Paris offices. In addition, she acts as press liaison for FHS public relations initiatives and assists in all event planning and communications correspondence. Meri is also active in foundation and corporate prospecting and grant writing.

Natalie Nachimson

Natalie Nachimson has served as Associate Manager of Administration and Programs for French Heritage Society since September 2010. She graduated cum laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a minor in French. While attending NYU she studied abroad in France at the University's Paris campus and has also studied voice at Manhattan School of Music.

Natalie has been studying French language and culture since the age of 13 and has a passion and appreciation for French art, cuisine and history. She is proud to support French Heritage Society's mission of promoting French American Friendship.

At FHS, Natalie serves as the membership manager, special events coordinator, webmaster and assistant to the Executive Director. She also assists with communications and development. In addition to her work with FHS Natalie is a freelance singer and guitarist and plays original music at venues throughout New York City.

Karen Archer

Karen has been with French Heritage Society since 2000, and now serves as Deputy Director for Strategic Development and Communications. She is responsible for working closely with the leadership to set the association's development goals, priorities and campaigns and for proposing and implementing communications strategies to enhance French Heritage Society's visibility and tell its story in a compelling way. Two major projects she has worked closely on include the publication of the book “French America” and the Katrina Heritage Rescue Fund.

She has a strong background in writing and visual arts and obtained her BA in French literature from The American University of Paris, and her MA in the same subject from the Sorbonne. Karen paints, writes and illustrates children's books and is interested in parapsychology. She was Director of the Cultural Program at The American University of Paris for a number of years where she organized educational travel around the world and other cultural activities.

Caroline Chobillon

Caroline Chobillon, a French native, is bilingual and has been working in French Heritage Society's Paris Office since April 2007.

Today Caroline is Senior Manager for Development and Programs. Caroline is responsible for development actions in France through the coordination of French Heritage Society's three main programs, its restoration Grants program, the Student Exchange Program and the Trips program with the leader volunteers.

In addition to receiving a BA and a Masters in Research from the University of Quebec in Montreal and University College Dublin in History and Art History, she obtained a Masters in Cultural Management from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

She began her career with French Heritage Society assisting Marie-Sol de La Tour d'Auvergne with the organization of FHS's 25th Anniversary celebrations.

Dominque Biarnès

Paris Chapter Vice-Chairman and 30th Anniversary Program Journal Coordinator

Monique Barbier

Monique Barbier has a degree specializing in research for art and archeology from the Sorbonne with a concentration in 16th-century French painting. She also has degrees from the Ecole du Louvre in Paris and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Versailles. She enjoys painting, reading and horse back riding.

Monique has done archival research and writing for exhibition catalogues, along with Anne Poulet, former Director of the Frick Collection, on subjects such as the French sculptors Clodion (1992) and Houdon (2003-2004, exhibition in Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Versailles).

Along with Anne Poulet, Monique has organized numerous Seminars in French Architecture and Decorative Arts for French Heritage Society for the promotion and deepening of the knowledge of French culture for American curators, professors and art connoisseurs. The Seminar program began in 1989 and concentrates on intensive study of important sites in France under privileged conditions with the collaboration of architects, art historians and curators.

Subjects have included: The Château of Fontainebleau (1989); Romanesque Architecture on the Route to Compostello (1991); 18th-Century Bordeaux (1994); The Silk Industry in Lyon (1996); Art Nouveau in Nancy ((1999) and The Château of Versailles in the 17th and 18th Centuries (2008) among others.

Françoise Blanchet

Passionate about the history of fashion, Mademoiselle Blanchet has been a volunteer at SHC (Société de l’Histoire du Costume) for 15 years. She collects engravings from fashion newspaper, fans, and Sèvres terracotta.

She has been a member of FHS since 2002, treasurer of the Paris Chapter since and does accounting for the Paris Office since 2009. In 2007, she was in charge of accounting for FHS’ 25th Anniversary Celebrations in France.

Lilibeth Dewavrin

From the “Nord” department in the north of France, Lilibeth Dewavrin was a VMF delagate for her region from 1979 to 2005. She has been a member of that association's Board of Directors since 1982.

She is pleased to have witnessed the creation and then followed the growth of “Friends of VMF” over the years through her various functions. Today, she remains “VMF advisor” to French Heritage Society.

She became VMF Sectrétaire Générale in 2005, and she devotedly maintains the excellent relations between the two associations.

Dominique Flahaut de la Billarderie

Dominique Flahaut de la Billarderie served from 2003 to 2008 as the Co-Chairman of the Paris Chapter and was the Vice-Chairman of the wonderful 25th Anniversary Celebrations in France. She was also an active member of the 20th Anniversary committee.

Dominique has graciously opened her home to FHS members on a number of occasions for private dinners and receptions. Dominique, an avid music lover and traveller, was previously in charge of organizing cultural trips for the Association pour le Rayonnement de l’Opéra de Paris (L’AROP) before founding her own cultural travel company with her husband for trips in France and abroad accompanied by renowned lecturers, historians and art historians.

She has travelled extensively in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the US and South America. Her new role with FHS combines her love of travel and adventure with meticulous planning and an appreciation of refined elegance.

Simone Monneron

Need text & image

Diane de Roquette Buisson

Need text

Astrid Stanfield-Pinel

During her 17 years in Phoenix, Astrid was a member and chairman of numerous committees and benefits: the Junior League (as a board member), the Cancer Society, the Crisis Nursery, the Senator's Cup Tennis Tournament at John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch for Hospice of the Valley, and Recording for the Blind. She organized events for French dignitaries at a high level in the economic and political spheres.

She was at the origin of the sister cities relationship between Phoenix and Grenoble, was a board member of the Sister Cities commission, and created "une Semaine Française" in Arizona in 1989. She launched the Phoenix branch of the Poste d'Expansion Economique of Los Angeles for Arizona in 1993.

Astrid joined FHS in 1988 while creating the Phoenix Chapter, where she received President Giscard d'Estaing. After her return to France she became Co-Chair with Isabelle de Laroullière of FHS' 15th Anniversary Celebrations in France in 1997, Vice-Chair of the 20th ACF, then Chairman of the 25th ACF in 2007.

She had been Chairman of the Paris Chapter since 2000, and in 2009 became Chairman of the Cercle des Amis. Astrid received the decoration of Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite.