Connie Fredericks-Malone
DIRECTOR
Connie Fredericks-Malone brings 40 years of experience in the fields of visual and performing arts, communications, arts management and marketing to her dual positions as Managing Member of CDF Music Legacy (2002 to present) and Director of the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation (2006 to present). She is the sister of Taj Mahal and the late Carole Fredericks. On behalf of Carole's estate, Connie successfully negotiated usage agreements with Sony Music Entertainment, M6 Interaction and JRG Editions Musicales to publish songs and music videos by Carole and the trio Fredericks Goldman Jones in language lessons. Connie also co-curated the multi-media exhibition, BLUES IN OUR BLOOD: The Artistic Evolution of Carole Fredericks and Taj Mahal for the Springfield Museums in 2008. She frequently presents workshops and lectures about the life and legacy of Carole Fredericks at international, national and regional conferences.
James F. Malone, Ph.D.
COLLEGE & CAREER PLANNING CONSULTANT
James F. Malone, Ph.D. has been an Educator and College/Career Readiness Counselor for 50 years. He began his career as a teacher of German, Spanish and Latin in 1967 after completing undergraduate and graduate degrees in German language and literature. After several years of teaching, Jim decided to work more directly with the broader personal and career planning needs of students. He completed both master's and doctoral degrees in counseling and began work as a high school counselor and a counselor educator at several universities where he trained graduate counseling students. Over the years Jim has assisted thousands of students and clients to engage in meaningful career assessment and exploration in order to make solid career decisions. He has consulted with a wide variety of institutional clients and has published and presented frequently. Jim brings to the work of the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation a unique blend of familiarity with the study of foreign language and the counseling skills needed to motivate students towards establishing and seeking meaningful career goals.
Mireille Le Breton
PROFESSOR OF FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES AT NAZARETH UNIVERSITY
Dr. Le Breton is a professor of French and Francophone Cultures and Literatures in the World Languages and Cultures Department at Nazareth University. Her research interests and publications revolve around North African Literatures, Histories, Societies, and Cultures, as well as Migrant Studies and Human Rights. She also publishes in the field of Second Language Acquisition and Experiential Learning. Dr. Le Breton has led multiple study abroad trips to France, Morocco, and Quebec, and has hosted delegations from Rennes, France, as well as the French Consulates in Buffalo and New York City.
In addition to her academic roles, she serves as the Director of the Maison française Cultural Center and the Rennes study abroad programs. Dr. Le Breton is also the founder and director of the French for Kids after-school program at the Maison française (2017-present), welcoming student interns every year. She completed her BA and MA degrees in English and American Literatures and Histories at the Université de Caen, France. She participated in a French exchange program with the University of Delaware, earned her MA in French Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park with a specialization in Second Language Acquisition, and completed her Ph.D. in French and Francophone Literatures and Cultures at Stanford University.
Nancy Gadbois
MASTER TEACHER, AUTHOR & CONTRIBUTING EDUCATOR
Nancy Gadbois holds an MA in French Literature from UMass, Amherst. She spent most of her career in the Springfiled, MA Public Schools and is now teaching at a private school in the city.
Mme Gadbois has been professionally active in the American Association of Teachers of French, American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages, The Massachusetts Foreign Language Association, and the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of of Foreign Languages. In 2006, she chaired the Nectfl conference in New York city at which time the late Carole Fredericks and her brother Taj Mahal received the prestigious Dodge Award for foreign language advocacy.
Students and teachers new to the classroom continue to inspire her daily.