Governance

The Paris American Club began as informal luncheon meetings in 1940, but was officially incorporated as a Type A corporation on August 24, 2001 for the purposes of a 501(c)(7) non-for-profit corporation, with its principal offices in the city and state of New York.

Its purpose is to:

Conduct, operate and maintain a social club;
Provide friendship and socialability among its members;
Foster, develop and promote better understanding among citizens of the community;
Continue the tradition established by Benjamin Franklin in 1777 in Paris, France by organizing meetings where members, all involved in the Franco-American community of New York, can interact and foster bonds of friendship between France and the United States.

The seven-member Board of Directors has the control and management of the affairs and business of the club, which is administered by the Officers, who by virtue of their positions, are members of the Board.

The Officers include a President, the chief executive officer of the association, who is responsible for the general management of the affairs of the corporation and carries out the resolutions of the Board of Directors, a Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.

Any member in good standing who has attended at least three events during the prior year may be a candidate for Director. Candidates shall inform the Board of his or her candidacy prior to the date of the Annual Meeting, held in January.

The Directors hold a calendar-year term of office for two years and may be re-elected upon the expiration of their term. Once elected, the Directors appoint the Officers. The Board may also establish committees of interested members to manage various activities as needed.

BY-LAWS of the Paris American Club, revised February 12, 2024

Board of Directors (2024–2026)

John F. Bennett, President

Born in the Hudson Valley town of Newburgh, NY, John began studying French in junior high school and immediately fell in love with all things French. He went on to get his BS in French from Georgetown University, spending his junior year in Nice, France. At GU, he was president of Le Cercle Français and Les Bateleurs, a Francophone theater troupe.

John spent 28 years with the Berlitz Schools of Languages, starting as a management trainee in its flagship Rockefeller Center location in 1978 and culminating his career as Managing Director of North America, responsible for a $50m operation, 50 language centers, and some 2,500 employees. In 2007, believing in reinvention, John met the founder of MAYA Press in Aix-en-Provence and agreed to form a New York partnership of its marketing and communications company. Acquiring complete ownership in 2012, the firm became Alouette Communications, producing print, web, and video content, including the PAC video presentation, for many New York-based French organizations, including the Taste of France.

He purchased Château Village, his Greenwich Village apartment in 1989 and became president of the co-op the following year. Very concerned about the local community, his GoFundMe campaign raised over $11k for the workers of Monte’s and Denino’s restaurants during Covid. In 2022, he purchased Château Riviera, his apartment near Place Garibaldi in Nice, where he alternates living between Nice and New York.

A member of the Paris-American Club since 2007, he served as vice president from 2011–2015, before becoming president in 2015, with the goal of revitalizing this 84–year old institution. At the time, there were 72 members and approximately $18k in the bank, there are now 151 members and a $56k account balance. A junior member committee was formed. New formats and meeting places, such as cocktails, pétanque, cooking classes, wine tastings, a ski weekend, and a French Open brunch have supplemented the monthly dinners.

Among his cultural affiliations, John is a member of the French American Chamber of Commerce, Non-profit Coordinating Committee of NY, FIAF, and the Chefs de Cuisine Association of America. John studied the history of graphic design at Parsons, the New School for Design, speaks French, some Spanish and Italian, and loves to cook and entertain an eclectic group of friends. Ever the bon vivant, his motto is: “On ne vit qu’une fois!” (We live but once!)

Véronique Anne Chabrolle

Véronique Anne Chabrolle, also known as VeroDalla, is a distinguished sculptor and painter hailing from Beaune, Burgundy. She was born into a family that blended the realms of science and viticulture, with her father being a scientist and her mother co-owning esteemed vineyards in Burgundy. At the young age of nineteen, Véronique ventured into the culinary world alongside a renowned chef, co-owning a Michelin-starred restaurant in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy, where she quickly made her mark.

Her foray into the arts began in 2006, leading her to relocate to New York in 2012. Véronique is the creator of LivenLuLu™, an emblematic character that embodies profound human connections. This character is at the heart of over 800 unique works, with her art featured in more than 80 exhibitions across Europe and the United States. Concurrent with her life-long artistic pursuit, Véronique has been on an insightful quantum journey. She delves into quantum medicine to confront and manage long-term health challenges. Drawing from her knowledge and experience, she is committed to assisting others who are navigating similar health issues. Her journey is a testament to her belief in the symbiotic relationship between wellness and art, and her dedication to using her insights for the greater good.

A member of the Paris American Club since 2012, Véronique delights in welcoming members at various club events.

Francis Dubois

Francis Dubois was born and raised in Alsace, France, and had a very distinguished career with the United Nations. He started his career in Uganda, and then served at Headquarters in New York before being assigned to the Palestinian Territories as the Deputy Coordinator of the UN Secretary General. Francis was then posted to Iraq as the Head of the UN Office (with the rank of Ambassador), and subsequently in Algeria and Tunisia in the same capacity.

Since his early retirement, Francis is an active member of several non-governmental organizations and serves on their boards. Presently, he serves on the board of the Paris American Club and is also President of Le Comité La Fayette, in New York; both organizations promote French-American relations.

Ludovic Dubrana

Ludovic Dubrana has been an active junior member of the Paris American Club since 2017, volunteering to organize the last three years’ pétanque tournaments on Minetta. He has also attended some of our premier events this year, including the Vermont Ski Weekend, April in Paris and the Soirée d’automne. An avid athlete, he enjoys in running, soccer, surfing, skiing, sailing, squash and tennis, in addition to pétanque.

Ludovic has extensive international experience, after growing up in France, he has lived in Zurich, Warsaw and Hong Kong, residing in New York since 2012 and is holder of a US green card. A finance professional, he has most recently served as Director of Hedging Strategy Development at AXA US, here in New York.

He is a member of FIAF, Parlor Social Club and the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative. Ludovic is committed to the development of membership and is an outstanding example of the next generation of the Paris American Club.

Beth Harrison, Secretary

Beth became a member of the Paris American Club in 2023. She is the Senior Director of Institutional Giving at World Monuments Fund, where she oversees relationships with foundations, corporations, and government entities, including the U.S Department of State and U.S. Embassies worldwide.

Previously, Beth served as the Deputy Director of the National Book Foundation and held executive positions at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the Academy of American Poets. Beth has also worked as an editor at book publishers including Princeton Architectural Press and Oxford University Press.

She enjoys the arts, culture, world literature, international travel, hiking, and yoga; is an active volunteer at God’s Love We Deliver and LaGuardia Corner Gardens; and looks forward to recovering some of her French language skills through membership in the Club.

Hilary J. James, Vice President

Hilary J. James is a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker with Brown Harris Stevens. As an accomplished professional with more than 25 years of experience, Hilary is respected by her colleagues and her clients for her expansive knowledge of the Manhattan real estate market. Hilary’s buyers and sellers benefit from her professionalism, discretion and vast understanding of the often-complex process of buying and selling in the City.

Before joining Brown Harris Stevens in 2014, Hilary was a marketing executive and Director of Sales for Bristol Plaza’s developer, Milstein Properties, working with the managing partner and senior executives in launching the luxury condominium at 200 East 65th Street. Responsible for the development, marketing and management of the thirty-day minimum stay concept, she successfully reached a global market of multinational corporations, the diplomatic corps, the entertainment industry and private individuals.

Born and educated in England, Hilary began her career in the film industry and has held positions with Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers. Fluent in French, she lived in Paris for four years until Warner Brothers brought her to the States to work in their New York office. She subsequently founded her own theater company and produced Off-Broadway plays by Samuel Beckett, Jean Reavy and the Obie Award winning Hess, written and performed by Michael Burrell.

Ms. James, who has been a member of the Paris American Club since 1995, serves as its Vice President and plans and coordinates many Club events.

Cathy Mangan, Treasurer

Cathy Mangan was born and grew up in Chicago. When she was a teenager, the family moved to New Rochelle, NY, where she attended the Ursuline School and later Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. Fascination with French culture began in Chicago, most likely because her grandfather was French, but serious study did not begin until high school and college where she was a French major and immersed in the classics. When she graduated, she worked briefly for Eastern Airlines in New York.

Next came married life with four children in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She began studies for an MBA at Drexel University and passed on her enjoyment of all things French to her children who spent time in Paris studying and working. She even managed to ‘swap houses’ with a French family in the 13è for the family home on Cape Cod.

Along with the MBA, Cathy passed the CPA exam and worked for Arthur Young and Company in Philadelphia. Rather than pursue a career auditing banks and financial institutions, she joined the Sun Company where she worked for a subsidiary that managed extensive real estate holdings across the country. The position ended when the company chose to terminate the business. Briefly, she worked for a company owned by Elf Aquitaine as their GAAP ‘expert.’ Soon after, the company was taken over by Totalfina and so, other projects outside the business world beckoned.

For a lovely period of time, there was Main Line School night where an elegant French woman taught and prodded her students to speak. Soon after there were casual groups meeting at the local bookstore or in each other’s home for coffee and French conversation. The pinnacle, perhaps, was the ‘French Café,’ a group of French women, school professors and eager novices who met once a month in different homes. All of this ended when her husband retired and a decision was made to return to New York City to begin le troisième âge, joining the Paris American Club in 2018. Cathy has also graciously filed the club’s income taxes pro bono for the past several years.

Advisory Committees

Committee members assume responsibility for various club activities and goals, holding meetings as needed to formulate and then present action plans and proposals to the Board. The President is an ex officio member of all committees.

Communications

Ellie Abdi

Membership and Outreach

Emily Wexler

Mentoring

Temporarily inactive

Speakers

Terrence Bennett, Francis Dubois, Patricia Duffy, Dening Lohez

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Past Presidents

KEVIN MACCARTHY	1999-2015
FRANCOIS HUGHES DE MONTMORIN	1998-1999
MYRON L. HURWITZ	1976-1997
ALEXIS C. COUDERT	1972-1975
ADRIAN H. ALCAN	1969-1971
MICHEL L. DREYFUS	1966-1968
RICHARD DE ROCHEMONT	1963-1965
H. GREGORY THOMAS	1960-1962
THOMAS H. KOERNER	1956-1959
FERDINAND V. COUDERT	1952-1955
FRED H. HOTCHKISS	1949-1951
THEODORE ROUSSEAU	1946-1948
HUGH ROBINSON	1944-1945
RAYMOND HARPER	1941-1943