“Every person can make a difference, and every person should try.”– John F. Kennedy |
WICE Board Members |
 | Rick Jones - PRESIDENT Rick Jones joined WICE soon after moving to Paris in July 2018. Prior to that, he spent 20 years as a U.S. Naval officer, and then 18 years in various leadership positions in information technology, knowledge management, and data science. He has a BA in mathematics and philosophy, an MS in information technology management, and a graduate certificate in applied statistics. He's also a beginning Go player, and an aspiring jazz flutist. |
 | Jay van Wagenen - VICE PRESIDENT Jay van Wagenen has been a full-time Paris resident since 2017. Before that she was founding partner and creative director of a boutique advertising agency specializing in direct marketing. Jay has been a member of WICE since 2018 and Co-Director then Director of WICE Languages since 2021. She attended Barnard College, majoring in American and English literature, and has a passionate interest in cinema, books, and fiberart. |
 | Susan Townson - SECRETARY 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. |
 | Nathalie Rodgers - TREASURER Nathalie Rodgers 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. |
 | Elisabeth Iriart - BOARD MEMBER 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. |
 | Mary-Jo Reef - BOARD MEMBER Mary-Jo Reef is a long-time member of WICE and the current Director of the French-English In-person Conversation groups. 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. |
 | Kate Wolter - BOARD MEMBER 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.  |
