Leadership
Isabelle David
A visionary leader with an inquisitive mind, strong moral compass, and an unwavering dedication to SDFAS’ values of open-mindedness, intellectual curiosity, integrity, empathy, and resilience.
Isabelle David has a Bachelor of Arts from the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and a Masters degree from Université d’Angers (both with honors). She is fully trilingual – French, English, and German – and has knowledge of Spanish, Italian, and Russian. She has lived in France and Austria. Isabelle David served as Director of the French American School of Chicago (EFAC), a K-12 institution, where she led the school for eleven years.
Among her many achievements, she was awarded the rank of Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (awarded by the Education Minister of France for services rendered to French Education and Culture). She is also the Vice-President of the Association of French Schools in North America (AFSA), and has strong relationships with the Mission Laïque Française.
Governance
San Diego French-American School is a 501©(3) non-profit corporation and an independent school governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board is comprised completely of volunteers who devote their time to oversight and support of the School and bring a variety of professional backgrounds and skills to the Board. The Board has officers, including a Chair of the Board, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, and operates according to Bylaws. Significant parts of the Board work are done through its Committees.
- To set the strategic direction of the School;
- To select, oversee, and evaluate the Head of School;
- To oversee the School’s financial health.
Aaron Brennan
Chair of the Board; Chair of the Head of School Support and Evaluation Committee
Aaron Brennan joined the SDFAS Board of Trustees in 2021. He is a California native and has been in San Diego since 1990. His children have attended SDFAS since preschool starting in 2010. Aaron is a recently retired San Diego City Firefighter and a currently serving officer in the US Navy Reserve. He has a BS in Finance from San Diego State University and an MA in Public Leadership from the University of San Francisco.
Zac Cole
Vice-Chair; Chair of the Committee on Trustees & Governance
Jane Kaggwa-Snow
Treasurer; Chair of the Finance Committee
Jane Kaggwa Snow joined the SDFAS Board of Trustees in 2023. She has been a parent at the school for more than five years. Jane possesses more than 20 years as a finance professional and 10 years as a business owner. She holds a BS Finance from Northeastern University and MBA
from MIT Sloan School of Management.
Emiline Cairncross
Trustee; Chair of the Strategic Initiatives Committee
Emiline Cairncross joined the SDFAS Board of Trustees in 2019. She has a son in PK2 and a daughter in PK0. Emiline is half French, half Italian, and she grew up in the countryside outside of Lyon, France. She speaks English and French. Emiline is an attorney, but is not currently practicing. She received her B.A. in psychology and French from UCLA and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Ann Amukele
Trustee; Chair of the Development Committee
Mony Liquard
Trustee; Chair of the Audit Committee
Mony Liquard joined the SDFAS Board of Trustees in 2021. She was born in Cambodia, immigrated to America at the age ten, and is fluent in Cambodian, Chinese, French and English. Mony is a financial services executive with 20+ years of experience in New York. Her husband is French and their three children have all attended the French American School of New York prior to relocating to San Diego. Her family has been exposed to diverse private and public schools in New York, Melbourne, Australia, and San Diego. Mony received her Bachelor of Arts from Willamette University and her Master of International Affairs from Columbia University in New York.
Alexis Nahama
Trustee
Alexis Nahama joined the SDFAS Board of Trustees in January 2020. He is a proud global citizen – French by filiation (parents), born in Trinidad & Tobago, and childhood hopping around South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico). He is married to Andrea (Brazilian from Rio) and has two children (Lucas and Camille) in 1st grade (twins). Portuguese, English, and French are the languages spoken at home. Tash, a Havanese dog, adds a flair of Cuban character to the family mix! Alexis is a veterinarian by training, with a vast experience in clinical drug development, business development, commercialization, and international operations. He currently holds a senior executive role in charge of the neuro-therapeutic (pain) business unit at Sorrento (Nasdaq: SRNE), a local San Diego biotechnology company. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Alexis has served on multiple non-profit boards, scientific councils, and industry trade organizations.
Jordan Gold
Trustee
Jordan joined the SDFAS Board of Trustees in the summer of 2023. He was born and raised on the East Coast in Watertown, Connecticut. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Business and Engineering, he worked in New York for a year before moving to Chicago where he worked as a trader for 20 years. Drawing from Jordan’s 20+ years in financial markets, he contributes invaluable insights to strategic decision-making and long-term planning. He moved to San Diego with his wife and daughter in 2020. His daughter started Kindergarten at the Lycée de Chicago in 2018, and has continued at SDFAS since moving to San Diego.
Sophie Lelievre
Trustee
Sophie Lelièvre became a member of the Board of Trustees at SDFAS in 2023.
Originally hailing from France, she was raised there and spent approximately two
decades in Paris before making the move to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011. In her
initial years in the United States, her first child attended the Silicon Valley International
School until their relocation to San Diego in 2021. Subsequently, both of her boys
commenced their educational journey at SDFAS, enrolling in PK-0 and Kindergarten.
Drawing upon a professional career spanning over 20 years, Sophie is an accomplished event planner specializing in luxury events, with a solid foundation in the hospitality industry. Her expertise and skills acquired over the years contribute to her role as a valuable board member.
Driven by a deep passion for education and a dedication to cultivating a positive learning atmosphere, Sophie brings a wealth of experience to the SDFAS school community. Her commitment to enhancing the educational environment aligns
seamlessly with the mission and values of the school.
Priscilla Sands
Trustee
Dr. Sands has nearly thirty years of experience as a Head of School, most recently as the Head of the prestigious Marlborough School in Los Angeles. Dr. Sands is an incredibly experienced and respected school leader, and now author and podcast host on the topic of parenting.
Damien Tournoud
Trustee
Damien has two children who started at SDFAS in 2023. A computer engineer by training, Damien received a Master of Science and Executive Engineering from Mines de Paris – PSL in 2003, and started his career in Paris before moving to San Diego in 2018. He currently leads the technical strategy at Platform.sh, a cloud application platform for developers, which he founded in 2010.
Ana Walsh
Trustee
Ana has been a parent at SDFAS since 2019 and has volunteered with the school since then. She attended international schools as a child and studied abroad in college and law school, finding herself drawn to different languages and cultures. Ana is an attorney and Realtor. She received her B.A. in Sociology from UCLA, and her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Cole Godvin
Trustee
Cole is a devoted educator having taught art at numerous prestigious independent schools, currently teaching at Francis-Parker and was personally involved in the formation of a new high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to becoming an educator, Cole’s career was in communications. Cole is mother to a 3rd grader at SDFAS, and studied in Paris for two years.
