Freedom, Equality and Fraternity through a Franco-American Prism

For nearly 250 years, the French and Americans have had a strong friendship based on common values established at the founding of the United States and the modern French Republic. Yet, although our values may be similar, our interpretation of them is entrenched in historical and cultural contexts inherent to each country. These differences have been displayed in the citizens of each country’s handling of current socio-cultural and political events. Join us for a panel discussion with four Franco-American intercultural consultants based in Washington DC and Paris, and co-authors of the article “Freedom, Equality and Fraternity through a Franco-American Prism” during which we will explore how these similarities and differences often cause cultural misperceptions and misunderstandings.

Panelists

Sylvie Day has been an intercultural consultant for 20 years, facilitating programs on multicultural team-building, global leadership as well as preparing expatriates and their families from a multitude of different countries for overseas assignments, including France, the US and the United Arab Emirates. She lives the Franco-American experience every day, not only in her professional life but also within her family is bi-cultural. Raising two kids in both cultures has been the best challenge of her life and an amazing learning.

Julia Gaspar-Bates has been immersed in intercultural environments her entire life. A British-American, she lived in Paris for eight years after finishing university and much of her work is to help Americans and the French navigate cultural differences to collaborate together effectively. Julia is President of Intercultural Alliances, LLC, a cross-cultural training and consulting firm based in the Washington DC metro area, and has delivered in multiple languages on five continents. A long-time member of the FACC of DC, Julia has frequently presented on intercultural topics. She holds a Master’s in Arts in Intercultural Relations.

Barbara Mattison has been helping people and teams to develop their efficiency, at home and in international situations for over 20 years. Born in the USA, of American and French descent, she has lived in the US, Canada, Great Britain and Algeria and is now settled in France. Barbara is a psychotherapist, consultant, trainer and coach focusing on cultural differences in teams and international mobility. She is the author of “Et si je trouvais ma place : secrets de l’intelligence relationnelle” (Eyrolles, 2016).

Pamela Strawgate is passionate about intercultural exchanges and was an avid worldwide traveler pre-pandemic. She creates and delivers custom intercultural training and DEI programs for people and organizations focusing on improving their understanding of and relationships with current and potential business partners in order to achieve successful outcomes. An American based in Paris for over three decades, Pamela has coached and trained hundreds of people of various nationalities since 2004 and teaches “Managing Diversity” courses in French business schools. Pamela previously worked in international hospitality management for over 20 years in five countries on three continents and in French Polynesia.