“Every person can make a difference, and every person should try.”

– John F. Kennedy

WICE Volunteers

WICE has been an all-volunteer organization since its founding in 1978. Simply put, WICE could not exist without a strong and active volunteer community. From the President and Board of Directors to our various team leaders and team members, each and every person who helps makes WICE run is a volunteer. 

This page serves to introduce our current volunteer community and acknowledge the stellar work they all do in making WICE the fantastic organization that it is.

So please, meet the WICE volunteers . . .


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Mary Bartlett

Mary is a member of WICE's Social Activities program, where she hosts Tuesday morning coffees when she is in Paris.

Although she grew up outside of Philadelphia, Mary spent most of her adult life in Washington, DC. A French major in college, she spent the year 1967-1968 at the Institut d'Art et Archeology (Elle est une soixante-huitarde!). After a number of years working in art conservation, Mary became a caterer and restaurant cook. In Paris, she was a volunteer cook for Jim Haynes' Sunday night dinners and wrote a cookbook Throw A Great Party. 

Mary and her husband Paul came to Paris for what they thought would be one year in 2001. They fell in love with Paris and have continued to come spring and fall for the past 23 years. She's been a member of WICE for over 20 years, and is delighted to  volunteer for the morning coffees held twice a month.

Ellen Bryson

Ellen is the Director of WICE's Creative Writing program, and she was also the director of 2024's Paris Writers Workshop.

Originally from Cleveland, OH, Ellen spend most of her early adult life in New York City as a professional dancer. She switched to creative writing in 1990, and began publishing novels in 2010 (her first being "The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuna"). She's lived in the Persian Gulf (Bahrain), in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and on both coasts of the U.S. She and her husband moved to Paris in July 2018 and immediately became a member of WICE.

Anne Campbell-Crawford

Anne is a member of WICE Walks, Talks, and Tours program, where she leads "Fashion Walks and Talks" outings. She also hosts afternoon teas.

Before coming to Paris, to live, in 2009, Anne and her husband lived in Dublin, Ireland for 37 years.  She founded, with the help of the Arts Council, The Irish National Youth Ballet Company which continues to this day.  She also had her own School The Dublin School of Classical and Contemporary Dance.  

Before moving to Dublin, Anne performed in London, continued with her dance training and was also a Fashion Model.  Previously she was brought up in the then Northern Rhodesia from the age of 7 years of age. She was born in Ghent Belgium.  Throughout her young life her dance training was under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Dancing.  

On arriving in Paris to live she immediately entered a training to be a Pilates teacher with Alyne Training and has been teaching Pilates ever since. 

Gail Carline

Gail is in the Games and Crafts program, where she teaches mahjong to beginners, and where she also hosts WICE mahjong games in her lovely 7th arrondissement apartment.

Gail grew up in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and was a Human Resources manager while working for Bell Laboratories (part of AT&T and Lucent) at Murray Hill, NJ, and Naperville, IL. She later moved to Bonita Springs, FL and worked as a Realtor in the Naples area.  She has two children and two grandchildren, and spends most of the year in Paris.  She loves the architecture, food, exploring neighborhoods and enjoying life with new friends.

Julie Charvet

Julie is WICE's Art Director in the Marketing Team. She oversees the WICE marketing team's work in producing our fabulous graphic products. Among other things, she designed the new WICE logo and website, and was a part of the creative team for the Paris Writers Workshop.

A French freelance graphic designer based in Paris, Julie has been designing printed supports for children books publishers, companies, and city halls for more than 12 years. Before that she created her own fashion brand for babies, designing and trading textile accessories made in France with original patterns and colorful fabrics. Even before she had worked as Art Director for magazines dedicated to video gaming. She loves to travel with her husband and their two daughters, discovering the world and other cultures. She has been a WICE member and a volunteer since September 2020.

Liz Chroman

Liz is a facilitator of English Guided Discussions in our Language Program.

Liz is the founder of Love of English, a company dedicated to helping people improve their lives by improving their English. The company includes language tutoring, a book series on American Idioms and online Business English courses.  Prior to teaching, she spent 30 years working in Corporate America in marketing and project management.  Liz Lives in Miami with her husband, Jason. She has two wonderful sons, both living in New York.  She loves reading, learning new languages, and being at the beach.  She lived in France for many years and misses it now! 

Bryan and Dominique Cossey

Bryan and Dominique are members of WICE's Finance Team. They manage the receipt and depositing of cheques from WICE members.

Bryan is originally from England, and Dominique is a native Parisienne. In the U.K. they both had various roles in education, and on retirement decided to spend more time in France. In 2021 they moved to Paris, having been members of WICE since 2019. They are fond of visiting museums and art galleries, as well as taking motor tours. And they are particularly fond of visiting Menton, near the Italian border.



Brice Dardel

Brice is a facilitator for the French Guided Discussion groups in our Language Program.

Brice is a retired business consultant for Hewlett Packard Entreprise Financial Services (HPeFS) and he has been a WICE member for 20 years, participating mainly in the wine tasting  evenings. Having developed a number of excellent friendships from these evenings, he decided it was time to give back a little to this organization.

Peter Dull

Peter is the Programs Team Leader.

A native Michigander from the USA, Peter is an oncology nurse by training, and has worked as such in New York City.  He has lived in Paris with his husband since 2023 and spends much of his time thinking about his next meal and fussing at the potted plants on his balcony. His favorite animals are his two cats.

Mike Franks

Mike helps facilitate the Tuesday and Friday online conversation groups in our Language Program.

Mike is originally from Kansas City, Missouri but grew up in Michigan, New Jersey, and California. Traveling taught him how useful languages are, and he credits WICE Conversation Groups with getting him comfortable enough to try to speak in French. WICE going online was the silver lining of the COVID confinement for him and from Los Angeles he had a wonderful time practicing French and making new friends, and getting an early start to his day. Now that he and his wife can travel again, he searches out street art wherever he can.

Angie Guyoton

Angie is the project manager on WICE's Marketing Team.

Singapore-born (at 325 ppm) Paris-based (since 1999), Angie is a Writer, Freelancer, Volunteer & aspirant Haikuist. She has been a WICE volunteer since October 2020Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Pat Hallam

Pat is the Director of WICE's "Walks, Talks, and Tours" program, and she also leads walks.

Pat Hallam moved to Paris in 2020 from the UK, fulfilling a long-held ambition to live in the City of Light. Her fulltime career for 33 years was as a public librarian, followed by a spell as an administrator for the English National Health Service. She has always been keenly interested in the history of Paris and now puts that knowledge to good use as a tour guide and contributor to the online magazine Bonjour Paris. Since joining WICE in 2022, she has become involved in the Friday conversation group and recently took on the co-ordination of the walks and tours program.

Bryan Harty

Bryan leads walks in the "Walks, Talks, and Tours" program.

Originally from London, Bryan lived in Ireland for nearly 20 years where he worked in the healthcare industry managing hospitals. He moved to Paris in 2019 and lives in the 7th arrondissement (although his love of the countryside prompts him to lead walks outside of Paris's urban confines).

He continues to work in Ireland on a part-time basis, and has two children who still live in London

Caroline Hautcoeur

A very long time WICE member and volunteer, Caroline is on the Membership Team where she assists in volunteer recruitment and in membership outreach.

Caroline lived in London for several years and joined WICE upon her return as a volunteer 25
years ago. She volunteered at WICE in different roles; Board Member and Volunteer and
Advertising Director. Caroline has been developing and teaching courses at university for the
past 16 years. She gives courses in English in Marketing, International Marketing, Diversity
Management and Presentation techniques. Due to her business background in start-ups and
SMEs, her teaching approach is practical and interactive.

Viktória Hrabošová

Viktória is a volunteer in the Marketing Team where she manages WICE's social media posts.

A bilingual Hungarian-Slovak, Viktòria has pursued a cosmopolitan life in every sense of the word. She has been in several cultural exchange programs, in England, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. She is currently living between London and Paris, and a student at a university in Budapest, where she is majoring in International Relations and Digital Marketing. She is passionate about literature and cats, as well as exploring different opportunities for growth.

Elisabeth Iriart

Elisabeth is on the WICE Board of Directors.

Born in Bordeaux, where she grew up and studied finance and management, Elisabeth started her career in the wine business before moving to Paris to work as an executive in the Industry. 

After 15 years in Paris, she  went back to her passion, oenology, by passing the WSET (Wine  and Spirit Education Trust) Diploma  in London.  As a certified WSET Educator, she’s  been training other wines/spirits lovers (professional or not) and also collaborates with the Bordeaux Wine School as well as the  BNIC  (Bureau Interprofessionel du Cognac), for courses or events.

Elisabeth also loves cinema, cultural life in Paris, traveling, and making new friends from all over the world. She joined WICE last fall primarily to practice English, and then to be a more active member.

Saumya Jetley

Saumya is the organizer and facilitator for our monthly Booker Book group in the Literature program.

An AI scientist trained in Oxford, UK, Saumya has worked previously as a researcher, technology consultant and a university professor across India and the U.K. Now based in Paris, she is pursuing her long-standing interest in the fine arts, literature and writing. Since October 2023 she is co-leading the Bookers club for world literary fiction at WICE. She runs a YouTube channel for poetry, enjoys the spoken word, and loves going on long hikes and open water swims.

Jo Jones

Jo is the principal organizer for WICE's monthly pétanque games and indoor board games for the Games and Crafts Program, and she posts our French/English expressions of the week on our social media pages.

Originally from Wales, Jo lived most of her life in Hong Kong, followed by a year in Sydney, Australia before moving to Paris.  Given her international history she brings a truly cosmopolitan outlook to WICE.

 

Rick Jones

Rick is the President of WICE. He also leads the occasional walk and teaches technology classes.

Originally from Wilmington, DE, Rick spent 20 years as a U.S. Naval officer, during which time he had assignments in a variety of locations in the U.S. and overseas. Following his retirement in 2002, he began a career in information technology, which led to work in knowledge management and data science. He moved to Paris in July 2018 with his wife. He is an aspiring jazz flutist, a very amateur Go player, and an avid walker. He has been a member of WICE since 2018.

Nobuntu Komape

Nobuntu  volunteers on the Membership Team where she does data analytics. She works with the team to help WICE develop greater insights into membership issues.

Originally from South Africa, Nobuntu moved to France in January, 2022. She holds a Bachelors degree in Information Technology in Business Systems and is currently pursuing a Masters in General Management & Strategy Consulting. She has keen interest in Data Science, AI & International Relations. Although she's still perfecting her French skills, she has learnt a thing or two about the culture, like how lounge wear is never worn outside. Et voilà!

Dania Lawand

Dania (on the right-hand side of the photo) is the Apéro Coordinator in our Social Activities Program. She coordinates all lunches, apéros, etc. She also helps facilitate online conversation groups and online tech support sessions.

Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, Dania has been in Paris since 2019, and a volunteer at WICE from the start. She has an undergraduate degree in Business Computers, and has lived in such diverse places as Saudi Arabia and Turkey. She loves baking and hosting little social activities for her WICE friends.

Brigitte Le Quéré

Brigette is a facilitator for the French Guided Discussion groups.

Brigette is a retired French teacher who taught at the French middle school and high school level. She has been a member of the WICE conversations for 14 years and a member of the English guided discussion for one year.

Lucy Madelin

Lucy is one of our "back room" members. She belongs to the Finance team, where she helps to ensure that WICE's accounting is current and accurate, and she is the one who—more often than not—takes care of registration problems.

A Patagonia-born Anglo-Argentine, Lucy married a Frenchman and began a life of globe trotting. She was an executive assistant at several oil companies, then an expat in Colombia, Scotland and Norway for 10 years as a trailing spouse. She came back to France in 2000 and found a volunteering position at WICE in 2001 as a Front Desk assistant. Now there is no more office and she works from home helping with Wild Apricot and accounting. She knits for her grandchildren and enjoys classes in chair upholstering.

Julia M.

Julia volunteers in the Membership Department where she helps analyzes membership engagement.

Julia is a Brit who has lived in France since 2009, having also lived in Australia and South America at various stages of her life. She speaks fluent French and Spanish, but doesn't get much chance to practice the Spanish these days. She has 2 daughters who live in the UK and recently became a Grandma for the first time! Her main home is in deepest rural France, in the Corrèze region, but she comes to Paris whenever she gets the chance in order to get a dose of culture.

Valérie Helmbreck Mascitti

Valérie hosts the WICE needlework group (knitting, crewel, embroidery, cross stitch, etc.), as well as knitting classes, in her charming apartment in the Marais.

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, USA, Valérie began traveling back and froth between the Diamond State to Paris years ago. After a successful career as a journalist on the mid-Atlantic coast of the U.S., Valérie made the permanent transition to Paris in 2018. She's been in Paris through the gilets jaunes,  the burning of Notre Dame cathedral, the December 2021 grève, and the COVID lockdowns. She still wouldn't trade her life here for the world. She loves corgis and makes a mean boeuf bourguignon.

Alice Meade

Alice is currently is a facilitator with the English language discussion group.

Alice has been a volunteer with WICE for over 5 years. She works full-time in the US as a software designer and researcher, and she will be in Paris in the summer of 2024 for the Olympics.

Annie Milgram

Annie is the WICE Partnership Program Coordinator. She works with various enterprises around Paris to arrange partnerships wherein WICE members can get discounted goods and services.

Annie is a native Parisienne who has been a member of WICE since 2012. During that time she has contributed significantly to WICE, serving on the Board of Directors and also as the WICE Treasurer. She is fond of Morocco, and she enjoys playing golf and playing bridge.

Meredith Mullins

Meredith is a member of the Paris Writers Workshop planning committee.

Meredith has been part of WICE since 2006—teaching photography, diving headfirst into French classes, and organizing wine tasting evenings. Born in Baltimore, educated at the University of North Carolina (in journalism and film), and transplanted to the beautiful Monterey Peninsula to explore the “California Dreamin’” life for more than 30 years, she also traveled the world (photographing and writing). She now considers the Ile St Louis in Paris her home. Her award winning book In A Paris Moment confirms her ongoing love of the City of Light, and she continues to write articles and exhibit photographs to share its rich treasures.

Peter Nusta

Peter is a graphic designer in the Marketing Department.

Originally from Cameroon, Peter is a passionate brand designer, illustrator, and marketing strategist who is currently living and freelancing in Paris. With over six years of experience and a Master’s degree in Marketing Management, he offers a unique combination of creative expertise and strategic insight. His goal is to deliver impactful designs that truly resonate with audiences.

Outside of work, he enjoys painting, exploring new places, and spending time with his family.

Anya Orzechowska

Anya is the organizer of WICE's Play Reading program.

Taking early retirement from her position as editor-in-chief of a technical magazine, Anya spent ten years in Dubai where her career took an artistic turn into classical painting. After brief stops in Mallorca and Toronto, she came to Paris in 2023 with her husband (Jerzy) and became a member of WICE. Currently she is juggling her volunteer work with art and walking her dog Suki, as well as trying her hand at writing.

Claudia Oudet

Claudia is the facilitator of the A2 French-English Conversation Group.

A French native with family in Spain (mother side) and in USA (father side) in Atlanta (GA), Claudia speaks the three languages. She has retired 4 years ago and her favorite activities are translation in French from Spanish or English, but also, she does proof reading for writers of novels or screenplays as she did several trainings in screenwriting. She has been giving French classes (all levels) for more than 15 years and had organized two meetup groups in French and Spanish. She has been a member of WICE for a few months and the new facilitator for the A2 French Guided Discussion groups.

Loy Palma

Loy volunteers in the WICE Finance team.

Originally from Manila, Philippines, where he graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree, Loy moved to New York City after college where he spent most of his life and professional career. Prior to moving to Paris in April 2024, Loy was the director of one of the largest hospital IT networks in Manhattan, which entailed both technical oversight and management as well as managing the hospital’s capital and operating expense budgets for IT infrastructure.

Over the years, Loy has traveled all over Europe, yet keeps coming back to Paris on each trip and finally decided to call Paris his home for now and hopefully for good.

José Pietri

José volunteers in WICE's information technology department where he evaluates new technologies and assists in monthly Tech Support sessions.

Originally from Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, José grew up in New Jersey (exit 4) and then bounced around during his collegiate years (Ohio, Mexico, France, etc.). After graduating with a degree in physics, he joined IBM (“I’ve Been Moved”) and bounced around again to Akron, Ohio, Kansas City, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1994 he left IBM and moved to Paris, where he married his lovely wife, Odile.  Now retired and eager to “pay it back, ” he considers WICE the perfect place.

Darleen Piol

Darleen is a graphic designer on the WICE marketing team.

Originally from The Philippines, she transitioned from IT and teaching to pursue a vibrant career in design. She was a graphic design volunteer for WICE from from 2019 to 2022, and has recently rejoined the team. Beyond pixels and vectors, Darleen finds inspiration through travel and diverse cultural experiences.


Isabelle Preston

Isabelle is the Administrative Department Team Leader, and she facilitates the English Guided Discussions.

Isabelle grew up with both a French and American culture. Originally from New York, she has lived in Minneapolis, Washington DC, Boston, Angers, Toulouse and has been in Paris since 1993. She studied engineering at the University of Minnesota and has worked as a project manager in various fields. She enjoys all arts, yoga classes and walking around Paris. She is a member of WICE since October 2023.

Robin Price

Robin leads our literary museum walks, and also leads book group discussions.

Robin's history in Paris goes back to her junior year in high school, when she decided on her own to say goodbye to her life in Delaware and finish her schooling here. After graduating from Marymount International School in Neuilly-sur-Seine, she became an au pair and a student at the Sorbonne, and has made Paris a part of her life since. Currently residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Robin spends a large part of each year in Paris. She is an avid reader and museum goer.

Dan Raj

Dan volunteers in WICE's IT department where he is helping develop metrics for assessing the impact of various web traffic events.

Hailing from Bangalore, India, Dan spent five years working and residing in San Francisco, Bentonville, Arkansas, Toldedo, Ohio, and other cities. He is a software engineer and entrepreneur by trade, with a keen interest in immersing himself in new cultures and languages.

Mary-Jo Reef

Mary-Jo is a member of the Board of Directors, and she also organizes and coordinates the Tuesday and Friday in-person conversation groups.

Mary-Jo is a long-time member of WICE. Before retiring to France, she was a professor of sociology at a state university. WICE was instrumental in her decision to retire to France, as many of her closest friendships originated through the WICE conversation groups.

Brise Rickey

Brise organizes and hosts WICE's twice monthly morning coffees at Brasserie Le Bullier.

Originally from Chicago, IL, Brise taught graduate students at Loyola University and was deeply involved in social justice issues in Chicago and within her own neighborhood community. She also lived in Calcutta, India for two years, which remain embedded in her heart. 

A few years ago she received a sabbatical and spent the year writing in Paris, where she continues to teach.  Brise enjoys exploring Paris, reading, and giving guided tours of Notre Dame.  When not in Paris, Brise can be found discovering new parts of the globe (usually in Africa, Asia or other parts of France).

Jacques Rickey

Jacques organizes and hosts the monthly Men's Lunches.

Jacques grew up in central Illinois where he ran track and played tennis in high school. He liked helping others, so he decided to get a degree in counseling.  After college, Jacques worked with university students for many years and then moved into family counseling.

A few years ago he moved to Paris to fulfill his life-long dream, and he is now enjoying retirement and traveling the world.

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Nathalie Rodgers

Nathalie is a member of the Board of Directors, where she serves as Treasurer and oversees all things financial at WICE.

Nathalie was born at the gates of the U.S. capitol on Bastille Day many years ago. Her Burgundian artist mother and her Southern engineer father then moved the family to Southern California where she spent her formative years.  After high school, she relocated to France where she attended classes at the Sorbonne and taught English. After several years in Paris, Nathalie returned to the U.S. to finish her studies and raise a family.

In California, then in North Carolina and the Washington DC area, she enjoyed a long career in Financial Services as a Certified Financial Planner and Registered Investment Advisor.  In 2005, she decided to take a break from the madness of finance and returned to France where she met her husband.  Nathalie loves to travel to the sites of ancient civilizations, investigate the lives of her founding forefathers – both French and American – and spoil her three granddaughters.

Ron Scherl

Ron is the co-organizer of WICE's monthly pétanque games.

Ron was an independent editorial photographer for over 30 years, publishing in major periodicals around the world. He now lives in Paris, writes fiction, and takes pictures with his phone.


Dan Smith

Dan volunteers in the IT Department where he is setting up a WICE Wiki and a relational database for membership management.

Dan, a "Paris Yank" since 2004, has been a dedicated WICE Member and Volunteer since 2011, taking on roles such as Director of Visual Arts, Programs Director, Accountant, and Secretary of the Board. After a sabbatical, he’s back as part of WICE and now focused on technical projects to enhance organizational knowledge.

With a technical background and a talent for creating clear, effective documents, Dan brings both precision and creativity to his work. He’s also passionate about the arts, enjoying Paris' culture, trips to the Côte d'Azur, and French cuisine, which he approaches with imagination and inquisitiveness he learned as a former chemist.

Sara Somers

Sara is a member of the Paris Writers Workshop planning committee.

Originally from Oakland, California, Sara has lived in Paris since 2013 and has been a WICE member since 2015 when she took her first writing class with WICE.  She went on to take two Paris Writing Workshops, write and publish a book, and is forever grateful to WICE for her start.  Since then she has taken advantage of the language courses, photography courses, a number of site seeing/walking courses (having become a great flâneuse since living in Paris and her writings often reflect that. She writes a Substack called Out My Window.  www.sarasomers.substack.com

Her book "Saving Sara A Memoir of Food Addiction" is available from the Red Wheelbarrow, Amazon, and independent bookstores.

Virginia Toupin

Virginia is the Marketing Team Leader

Virginia Toupin, a seasoned marketing professional with over two decades of experience, has been a driving force in brand development, international marketing, and communications. Renowned for her expertise in strategic planning and project management, Virginia has played influential roles at Silicon Valley giants such as Apple and HP and has made impactful contributions to companies like Business Objects (acquired by SAP), Quantum, and Orange Business Services in France. Apart from her corporate endeavors, Virginia shares her knowledge as an educator, teaching a course at AUP. With a personal touch, she spent seven years in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to France.

Currently residing in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Virginia travels back and forth to Indian Shores, Florida, spending approximately 3 months each year in the sunshine state. Combining academic insights with hands-on experience, Virginia's commitment to positive team dynamics positions her as a dedicated professional ready to contribute her wealth of experience and strategic insights to elevate organizations in the marketing and communications space.

Susan Townson

Susan is the Secretary of the WICE Board of Directors, and also a WICE Hiking Club organizer.

Susan hails from Wellington, New Zealand via London.  She loves hosting BBQs and aspires to run a half marathon . . .one day. When she isn't busy trying to drain the EU's wine lake, she writes short stories, practices her downward dog and looks after five demanding cats. She is passionate about history and handicrafts, and she is an avid reader who frequents the WICE Café Littéraire book group meetings.

Richard Tran

Richard works with Mary-Jo Reef in setting up weekly in-person conversation groups.

Richard is a longtime member of WICE and a stalwart member of the WICE conversation group. He is always willing to lend a hand and he regularly sets up our rooms for the French-English conversations. Further, Richard is a unique individual, a true logophile who is devoted to his love of words. Richard dedicates himself assiduously to reading the dictionary daily.  Also, he is knowledgeable about many subjects, so he is a hard person to stump.

Yana Vachkova

Yana is the Coordinator of the Visual Arts and Photography Program. 

Originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, Yana has lived in various parts of the world, including China during her teenage years, the Netherlands for her university studies, and a brief period in the U.S. She holds a Master's degree in Business Communication and Digital Media from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands. Before her current role, she worked as a marketing and brand manager at a start-up art dealership, where she facilitated the presentation and promotion of artists and their works.

Yana has a passion for photography that dates back to her school years. She is also an amateur competitive mountain biker, a devoted dog mom, and enjoys mountain hikes in her free time.

Jay van Wagenen

Jay serves as WICE's Vice-President on the Board of Directors, and she is also the head of WICE's language department and helps out in marketing.


Jonathan Weiland

Jonathan is the head of WICE's information technology department. He manages WICE's IT platforms, and he organizes and leads the monthly tech support sessions.

Jonathan studied in London before moving to Paris in 2019. He enjoys biking in and around Paris. He has been a member of WICE since 2020.

Kate Wolter

Kate is WICE's "Membership Ambassador." She contacts new members to welcome them and to ensure they are aware of all that WICE has to offer and how to access it.

Like Josephine Baker, Kate has deux amours: living in Paris but always a New Yorker. In her life, she's been a singer, an executive assistant, a bookstore manager, a supernumerary, lived in a cabin (chop wood, carry water), a hat check, une femme de ménage, an actress, and now—after years of quilting—she's teaching herself to sew. In all of it, there has been one consistent element, the people in her life. And she is thankful there are lots of wonderful ones here in WICE. 

Lori Zeller

Lori is the Assistant Team Leader of Programs.

Lori is a newly minted expat, having moved with her 2 cats from her native California to Paris in early 2024.  She joined WICE in 2024.  Her dream of living in Paris stems from two summers of a study abroad program in Paris in 2022 and 2023.  She did the program in the summer of 2024 as well, even though she was already abroad.  Her background is in science, and she retired from a career as a research chemist.  She has a long history of volunteering, from scouting to cancer research fundraising, care of neonatal kittens at a no-kill animal shelter to work as an advocate for victims of domestic violence in the Van Nuys (CA) City Attorney’s Office. 

She has 2 grown children who live in California. Lori spends her time studying Buddhism and French, and learning to paint with watercolors.  She also travels now that she has found a great cat sitter.

Being a WICE volunteer offers tangible benefits as well as the chance to be part of a great team. For more information on what positions are available and what the benefits are, check out . . .

Become a WICE Volunteer