Meet Our Boards

Jean-François Bonneté is a French-born Houstonian whose life and career have always been about building bridges, between cultures, communities, and people. A passionate advocate for French culture, he has served as President of the Alliance Française de Houston since 2024, guiding the organization in its mission to promote French language and francophone culture in the Greater Houston area.

Professionally, Jean-François is the Co-Founder and President of BCI, a boutique company dedicated to developing and building premium terroir wine and spirits brands in the U.S. market. With more than 25 years of international experience, he has been recognized for his leadership and contributions to the French and American wine and spirits industries, including being named Chevalier and later Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite Agricole by the French Republic.

Deeply committed to civic and cultural service, he has also served as the elected representative for French citizens in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas since 2014, and as President du Conseil Consulaire. He is an active board member of several educational and cultural institutions, including the Austin International School (Vice Chairman), the French-American Chamber of Commerce in Texas (where he was President and Chairman for 16 years) and has previously served on the Board of the Awty International School or Virtuosi (young artists Chamber Orchestra).

Jean-François also champions causes close to his heart, particularly inclusion for people with disabilities and support for French-speaking individuals in need, as founder and Board member of SOS French in Texas.He lives in Houston with his wife Nathalie and their seven children.

Virginia A. Clark has been a member of the Alliance and a student of French here since 1992.  She was elected secretary and member of the board in 2005 and has served in that capacity since then.  She has also been an active participant in the Cercle de Lecture. 

She grew up in Houston and graduated from Memorial Sr. High where she took four years of French.  She left Houston to study physics and later geophysics, returning to work for Exxon in both research and exploration after receiving a PhD from Texas A&M.  

After retiring from ExxonMobil she obtained a Master of Liberal Studies at the Glasscock School at Rice University.  She is also a member of the boards of the Houston Symphony and the Friends of Fondren Library.

For over forty years, I led the North American Energy platforms of three global corporate and investment banks. After retiring several years ago, I founded Montrose Capital Advisors to assist clients in navigating the energy transition, developing viable competitive strategies, and formulating compatible capital structures. I bring deep insight to projects by applying corporate finance and banking principles to build a sustainable governance platform that supports the oil and gas industry’s pivotal role in the energy transition.

While my primary expertise lies in the energy sector, I also possess considerable knowledge and experience in leading and serving on the boards of several non-profit organizations.

• Lead player in over $100 billion of structured transactions, involving every segment of the energy industry
• Managed diverse, high-performing teams of seasoned bankers, petroleum and process engineers, Project Finance specialists and M&A and A&D Advisors.
• Serving over 24 years on the board and as Honorary Chairman of the French American Chamber of Commerce, a member of its Executive Committee and Chairman of its Energy Committee
• Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite and Board Member of The American Society of the French Order of Merit
• Work-Study Committee Member of Cristo Rey Jesuit Prep Houston
• Houston Private Directors Association-former Founding member and Co-Chair of the Program Committee 

Masters-Columbia University SIPA- International Finance and Banking
BA-Queens College, with Honors, Economics and Political Science

Jeff Bricker is a proud native Houstonian and has practiced architecture for over 50 years. He is married to his high school sweetheart, has a son and daughter that also live in Houston and each have two boys. He is a Principal at Page Southerland Page, Inc. Architects, Engineers and Consultants, a practice with 20 offices in the United States and Mexico.

Jeff is committed to improving the quality of life in Houston through his practice of architecture. He is equally passionate about his commitment to civic service efforts in Houston, often sharing local Developments and updates with colleagues on important local and state issues impacting our community.

Jeff has served on the boards of Southwest Houston 2000, The Park People, Leadership Houston, and the American Red Cross. In addition, he has been active with the Greater Houston Partnership, having served as the former chair of its Local Government Relations Committee, Federal Government Relations Committee, a founding member of its Quality-of-Life Committee, and former Chair of the Task Force on Sensible Growth for its Business Issues Committee.

Professionally he has served as the Principal-in-Charge on many signature projects in Houston and around the state and his leadership of the many design teams has been instrumental in their success. Recent projects include, a new medical school for Sam Houston State University, Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Harris County Youth Services Center, the Harris County Jury Assembly Building, a $132 Parks to Standards Program for the City of Houston, a new Nursing School for Texas Tech University, the Maverick Student Activities Center for the University of Texas at Arlington, the Fraga Classroom Building and Campus for Houston Community College, the High School for Law Enforcement for HISD, the Houston Area Women’s Center and Cunningham Elementary School for HISD, the first HISD LEED certified project in the system.

Several of his projects have transformed the University of Houston campus. These include the Tillman Fertitta College of Medicine, the TDECU Football Stadium, $140M Football Development Center, the Guy V. Lewis Basketball Development Center and the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

Jeff graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Architecture. A registered architect, he is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). In addition, he is a graduate of the Leadership Houston’s Class XIII and received that organization’s Patrice Johnson Award in 1995. He is also a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum Gulf Coast Chapter.

Dr. Larry Spitzberg is a retired Optometrist and a lifelong francophile. Dr. Spitzberg has doctorates from Rice University and University of Houston and is an Adjunct Professor at UH College of Optometry.

Dr. Spitzberg is an award winning watercolor color artist and has had multiple one-man shows at the Alliance.

As well as being in private practice for 40 years, Dr. Spitzberg has been president of Optical Designs, Inc, a company dedicated to improving the lives of low vision persons.

At Alliance Française de Houston, our success and commitment to promoting French language and culture are driven by the exceptional leadership of our esteemed Board Members. Each member brings a wealth of experience, expertise, and passion to the organization, fostering an environment of excellence and innovation..

Passionate Advocates for Language and Culture:

Beyond their roles as board members, each individual is a passionate advocate for the French language and its rich cultural heritage. Their love for all things French is contagious, inspiring both students and staff to embrace the beauty and significance of the Francophone world..

Stay Tuned for More:

Get ready to meet the brilliant minds and compassionate hearts behind the success of Alliance Française de Houston. As we eagerly gather their profiles, we invite you to stay tuned for in-depth insights into the extraordinary individuals who lead us towards linguistic and cultural excellence.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we introduce you to our remarkable Board Members. Merci beaucoup for your continued support and enthusiasm!

An accomplished global expert in the field of people and organizational development, change management and labor and employee relations, Natasha Préhu is the founder and chief executive officer of Sui Generis Group,a consulting firm specializing in HR advisory as well as Executive and Career coaching.

She started her boutique firm late 2021 bringing 30 years of global human resources experience in helping her clients to achieve their personal best.

Highly multicultural with Croatian origins, Natasha was educated in France and developed her successful career within an American multi-industry conglomerate. She worked nearly 3 decades for Honeywell International Inc. in numerous roles, including Divisional Vice President of human resources and communications, Corporate Vice President of labor and employee relations for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Global human resources director and business partner with extensive business and manufacturing exposure. She lived and worked in France, Belgium, Switzerland and in the United States of America. In 2014, she put down roots in Houston, Texas.

While her career has been filled with many standout moments, Natasha Préhu takes the most pride in making a difference in the lives of others. The cornerstone of her success lays in her resilience and understanding that curiosity is the beginning of knowledge and action is the beginning of change. She is a growth-oriented leader with proven track record shaping and implementing people empowering strategies for multi-billion dollar businesses.

She is a member of the advisory board at Global LERN, a labor and employee relations network, where she co-leads a virtual learning and development program focusing on key issues and career progression considerations for women in the Labor and Employee relations field, historically male dominated.

Outside of her work, Natasha contributes to her community and those less fortunate by working with organizations that stress the importance of art and education to underserved and underprivileged children. She is also actively involved as a voice choir with the International Voices of Houston.

Looking toward the future, she intends to experience the continued growth and success of her career. Ultimately, aiming to foster the development of her boutique firm and eventually write and publish her own work.

Ellen Davis is a native of Asheville, North Carolina. Her family moved to Houston from the East coast in 1967. She graduated from Westchester High School, SBISD. She attended Duke University, graduating with a BSN, followed by an MSN from UAB with a clinical focus on cardiovascular diseases in children. She practiced nursing for over 40 years in a variety of settings including CVICU, neonatal ICU, pediatric cardiology as an advanced practice nurse, and medical malpractice defense as a legal nurse consultant. She spent the later part of her career in healthcare risk management, retiring in 2018 from Memorial Hermann Health System where she last served as the System Clinical Risk Manager for outpatient services and post-acute care. During her career she was active on the boards of several professional organizations and was an active community volunteer in many community and nonprofit organizations.  She currently serves on the Board of the Lady Washington Chapter of NSDAR and is an active member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. 

Ellen enjoys the French language, having studied it throughout high school and college. She has been a member of the Alliance Française of Houston and a student there since 2009. Ellen is married to Geoffrey T. Davis, Sr., who is retired from investment banking. They have two adult children.

Douglas Skopp has been an Alliance Française board member since 2001.  Through his interest in French wine and culture, he has traveled to France more than 100 times.

Doug is currently CEO and founder of Dionysus Imports, a wine importer/distributor specializing in small production artisan wines of France and Italy.  One can find Doug’s wines at many of Texas’s finest wine savvy restaurants and wine shops.

Dale is a retired sports journalist turned wine blogger/wine-tour guide, he and his wife Deborah, a retired educator, have been traveling annually to France since the mid-1980s. In 1998, they built a house in the picaresque Ubaye Valley 70 miles above Nice near the Italian border, that they share with several Houston-area friends.

A University of Houston graduate who grew up in El Paso, Dale was with the Houston Post from 1972 through 1990, then worked for the Houston Chronicle until February 2019. He was named Texas Sports Writer of the Year in 2010, and sports-writing took him to France for multiple French Opens, the Tour de France during the Lance Armstrong years and the 1998 soccer World Cup. He also wrote a weekly wine column for the Chronicle from 2008 through 2021. He has served on the Alliance Française board since the early 2000s .