Meet the Board
AF Birmingham board members serve one year term, from August 1 to July 31 of the following year. Please note that the membership year is dictated by the IRS. AF Birmingham membership elects a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Event Chair. All positions are volunteered based.
Mary McCullough
President
Mary McCullough received her Ph.D. in French literature at Michigan State University. She is a French Professor at Samford University, where she teaches all levels of French and Core Texts classes. She enjoys traveling, fiber crafts, baking, and of course all things French and Francophone. She has been the President of the Alliance Française de Birmingham since July 2022.
Jeanne Classé
Vice-President, Event Chair
Jeanne taught French enthusiastically at the Altamont School for over 40 years, and she still loves to promote French. She has been active in all the Alabama and national Foreign Language associations and offered many virtual French programs to Alliance members during the pandemic. Travel to France and Francophone countries with her students or family has been a favorite activity.
Benlee Huguley
Secretary
A French teacher for 27 years, currently retired and working on various projects, Benlee Huguley loves practically all things French. A collector of experiences more than things, this avid journeyer has traveled in fourteen countries, eight of which are francophone.
Sharon Blane
Treasurer
In 2020, Sharon Blane retired to Birmingham, from where the paternal side of her family hails, after a career in the Foreign Service. She learned French as a child in West Africa; later she attended university in Aix-en-Provence, France. In the Foreign Service, she had two French-speaking postings. She also speaks German and Polish.