Patsy Jamieson, originally from Ontario, worked as a stagiare (trainee) in Paris at La Varenne École de Cuisine, where she earned Le Grand Diplôme d’Études Culinaires. During this time, while she worked at the school by day, she took French classes at the Alliance Française in the evenings.
She spent most of her career in magazine publishing. She worked as test kitchen director for Canadian Living and test kitchen director/food editor for EatingWell. There, working with the editorial team, she learned the importance of strong communication and collaboration. Currently, she teaches cooking classes and organizes excursions to Quebec for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at the University of Vermont.
She has been a member of the AFLCR since 2016 and has taken classes at every session since then. As a volunteer, she contributed culinary creations to special events, including the Celebration of Francophonie dinner, the Dessert Extravaganzas, and guest lectures. She shares French and Québécois recipes in the AFLCR’s monthly newsletter. She is committed to ensuring the continued quality of education at the AFLCR and contributing to the vitality of its community.
Bill Pence earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland and a master’s in business administration from the University of Baltimore.He moved to Vermont in 1984, serving as business manager for Planned Parenthood for 4 years. Thereafter he was the business manager for Howard Center for 25 years.
He retired in 2018 and volunteers for the Charlotte Recreation Department and the Flynn Theater. At times, he is a community mentor to a local resident. He feels retirement is the most unusual trip he has ever taken—less stressful and more flexible, a different pace in life that is usually enjoyable.
He stays active with pickleball, walking with friends, and trying to get out and exercise. He participates in several local French
conversation groups each week, and feels that learning French is a lifelong process. He is married to a retired social worker and has a son
living in the area with two lively granddaughters.
Pamela Hunt has fostered a lifelong love of language, having studied French, Spanish, and Latin in high school, then French, Russian, and a semester of Arabic at Boston University. Moving to Vermont in 2005, and frequently spending time north of the border in Québec, rekindled her interest in being able to communicate in French more fluently. She joined the AFLCR in 2016 and has greatly enjoyed its numerous grammar, conversational, and literature classes and events, as well as the strong sense of community among the membership.
Her career as a freelance copyeditor, proofreader, and writer grew from a passion for grammar, which has helped her navigate some of the trickier aspects of the French language (bonjour, subjonctif!). She believes that the best way to improve one’s language skills is through speaking with others and has worked to grow the AFLCR’s reach into conversational groups and other social gatherings, through which members and other francophones can get to know each other better and strengthen our already vibrant community.
In addition to serving on the AFLCR Events Committee, Pam also volunteers frequently at City Market and spends as much time as possible exploring the outdoors with her dogs, improving her photography skills, and traveling, particularly to locales where she can immerse herself in French.
Steve Barrett holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and a master of engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He dedicated nearly 40 years to semiconductor chip design at IBM, spending six years in Kingston, New York, before relocating to Vermont in 1980.
After retiring in 2013, Steve began volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington. Though he studied French for two years in high school, his true passion for the language emerged when he joined the AFLCR in 2013. He actively takes classes, participates in multiple conversation groups, and enjoys traveling to Québec and France with his wife for immersive French experiences.
Steve stays active through hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, and cycling. He is married and has two daughters, one residing in South Philadelphia and the other in Vermont.
I have been a Francophile since taking myfirst French class in high school. I loved the language and literature. I went on to major in French at Mount Holyoke College, spending my junior year abroad in Tours and in Paris. After college, I worked for the United Nations in New York City for several years and met many French-speaking people. This experience gave me the opportunity to use my still very limited French. However, after a few years, my career took a sharp turn. I left the U.N. to study law at Fordham Law School. After receiving my law degree, I practiced labor and employment law for some thirty years. For ten years, I served as a neutral in an agency that resolved labor disputes in the City of New York. I worked for a labor law firm for two years and then joined the Connecticut Community College System as labor counsel.
In 2015, my husband and I fulfilled our dream of retiring to Vermont. We had the good fortune to travel to France several times after that. My passion for French language and culture was rekindled. I joined the Alliance Française in 2021 and began taking classes. I have enjoyed participating in social functions and have joined several French conversation groups. The opportunity to speak informally with others is a wonderful way to improve my French.
In 2022, I was elected to serve on the Alliance Française board of directors and was board secretary for three years. I decided not to run
for re-election in 2025 but I have recently decided to rejoin the board to fill the temporary vacancy caused by the resignation of one of
the directors. It is a pleasure to be back among my wonderful fellow Francophiles who are serving on the board! .
