OUR TEAM
AFAM Governance
- AFAM is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization whose Tax ID # is 26-2274822 registered in the State of California
- AFAM is governed by a volunteer board of directors elected by AFAM contributors in good standing
- By policy, AFAM is committed to preserving the confidentiality of all personal information it keeps about its members
- Since June 2020 AFAM Operation Committee has been created to help the organization successfully achieve all set goals.
Notable Alumni, Board Members, Members of Operations Committee 2021
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Xavier Wartelle CEO since June 2020, Board Member and Co-Founder since 2007, Operations Committee Member (Entrepreneurship) Hi I am Xavier! I came to Silicon Valley 25 years ago. I became impassioned by tech start-ups and I launched 6 startups myself resulting in 4 acquisitions. I also co-founded the French Tech Hub and big bang factory, two startup accelerators. I love new ventures and entrepreneurs. Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. |
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Marc Amblard |
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Yarith Phay Hi, my name is Yarith! I am a Bo191 alum and live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I came here from London in 2001 and somehow could not leave this beautiful place. After Arts et Metiers, I worked in France, the United Kingdom and in the US. I currently lead engineering teams at WhiteHat Security. In my spare time, I like to give back to my community and have been involved with a number of non-profits. For instance, my wife and I had, a few years ago, the opportunity to help and co-found EFBA, a local non-profit association providing French after school programs. I’d like now to put that experience and my motivation to help AFAM build a strong Gadz’Arts brand and community here in the USA. |
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Eric Benhamou Board member, Co-founder, President 2007-2020, President Emeritus Hi, I’m Eric! I am an Aix 72 alum. I arrived in the US in 1976. I graduated in 1977 from Stanford's School of Engineering and pursued a career in the IT industry in Silicon Valley. I was fortunate to create, grow and lead several successful IT companies such as Bridge Communications, 3Com and Palm. I now serve on several public company boards and allocate the rest of my time between my Venture Capital Fund Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC, the INSEAD global business school in Fontainebleau and the IDC in Herzeliya where I am a visiting professor, and of course AFAM. |
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Thomas Ferré Secretary 2007-2020, Co-founder, Board Member, Operations Committee Member (Entrepreneurship) Hi, I’m Thomas! I am a Bo 200 alum, living in Washington DC, born in NYC and raised in France who came back to the USA to graduate from University of Michigan for a MSc in Civil engineering. I currently head the Private Equity portfolio at Microvest Fund, and invest in companies dedicated to social impact and financial inclusion for the poor around the world. I spent most of my career in Private equity investing across the globe. I also founded TOMI OTEE a 100% sustainable apparel company and winner of the 2011 NY FAE Award, and am an investor in and advisor to a diverse portfolio of startups from tech to farming. |
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Jean Luc Nauleau Board Member since 2007 Hi I’m Jean-Luc! I have lived in the U.S for over twenty years; I graduated from Santa Clara in 1987 and started my career as a software engineer for Plessey Semi-conductor. I founded Integration Associates in 1991, a semi-conductor startup, acquired by Silicon Labs in July 2008. |
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Audrey Stewart Board Member & Arts et Métiers Representative since 2010 Hi, I’m Audrey. I am Director for International and European Development at Arts et Métiers. I graduated from the University of Strathclyde Business School in 1991 and joined Arts et Métiers ParisTech in 2007, first in the Lille campus, and then in 2010, in the head office. I am also a representative of the CDEFI (Conference of Directors of Engineering Schools) in Americas group in charge of defining the international strategy for research, innovation and higher education for the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research; and I am an elected member of the academic committee of INSA Val de Loire. You may connect with me via LinkedIn. |
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Nicolas Horde (Ai 214) Board Member since 2018, West Coast Group zident since 2023, Operations Committee Member (Students) Hi, I'm Nicolas, an Ai 214 alumnus. I am a former representative in Atlanta and a West Coast group president since 2023. Do not hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn. |
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Mattia Pelissou (Li 216) Board Member since 2020, former West Coast Group President Hi all, I’m Mattia, Lille 2016 alumnus. I moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 2018 to study at UC Berkeley. Now working as a robotics engineer in San Francisco, I am a strong advocate of AFAM’s mission. Shoot me a message if you are ever in San Francisco. You can contact me via LinkedIn |
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Jean Pommier Board Member since 2017, Operations Committee Member (Shasta internship program) I am an An 183 alum and have lived in Silicon Valley since 1998. In addition to Paris Tech's Mechanical Engineering degree, I got a second MSc in Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence and worked in this field since 1987 when I joined ILOG upon its creation in France and until its acquisition by IBM 22 years later. I led ILOG's Services organization for many years and, at IBM, I'm a Distinguished Engineer and CTO for our Digital Business Automation services business. Beyond work I call running my second job, focusing mostly on ultra marathon trail running nowadays and actively blogging about it. You can also find me on LinkedIn. |
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Valérie Prulhière Board Member, SOCE Representative since 2022 Hello, My name is Valerie, I’m a Li 187 Alumna and I joined the AFAM board through my election as VP in charge of international subjects for Arts et Métiers Alumni which we call “La Soce”. Through my career, I have worked in different industries: Aerospace, Oil & Gaz and also Insurance with a focus on industrial risks. I spend 9 years in Dallas with my husband and three children from 2008 to 2017. Coming back to France, I decided to use the best of both French and US educational systems and became a professional coach and college counselor. My goal is now to help young people to believe in themselves and choose the best academical paths to become who they want. |
Louis Renaux Board Member since 2018 Hi, I am Louis, Cluny 216. I just moved to California for the Master of Engineering at UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. I am currently building up a seminar to foster tighter links between French and US companies. I also am the president of the West Coast Alumni Group so please contact me if you want to create events in the Bay Area. Don't hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn. |
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Eric Tran |
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Charles Dehelly |
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Louis Castex |
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Aurore Prevot |
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Jean-Baptiste Commans |
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Sacha Ghebali ( Bo 211) Hello, I’m Sacha! A Bo211 alumnus, I came to NYC in 2019 to build a FinTech start-up in financial inclusion. Prior to this, I moved to Boston to study Finance at MIT and received a PhD in Aeronautics from Imperial College in London where I spent 4 years, two of which leading the UK Alumni Chapter. I started my entrepreneurial journey building AI software for aerospace and automotive industries and am now working in crypto finance at a seed-stage startup. Today I am East Coast Group Zident, taking over after my predecessor J.-B. Commans. Do not hesitate to connect with me via email or LinkedIn, and please shoot me a message should you come to NYC. |
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Kevin Kok Heang Hi, I graduated from Arts et Métiers in 2016 (class of Me 212) and moved to Washington, DC in Sept. 2019 and currently work as deputy-attaché for science and technology at the Embassy of France in charge of emerging technologies and cybersecurity. Before I worked at the OECD's Observatory of Public Sector Innovation and co-authored a working paper on Artificial Intelligence and its use in the public sector. You can contact me via email or Linkedin.
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Corentin Lazarus (Me 209) |
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Michel Vulpillat (Ch 83) |
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Patrice Brossard (Bo 95) |
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Albina Patou-Chebykina |