Elizabeth Rohatyn, Médaille d’Or de La Renaissance Française

Elizabeth Rohatyn, committed to a public service career that spans more than half a century, has been central to the cultural, educational and philanthropic life of New York City, where her vision and leadership have helped transform public education, redefine the role of public libraries in our communities and set new standards for American cultural diplomacy.

Recognizing the great potential of technology in education, Mrs. Rohatyn founded Teaching Matters, Inc., in 1996, and is currently its Chair Emeritus. Teaching Matters is a nonprofit organization that works in New York schools to improve the use of technology in the classroom and train teachers to create and implement web-based curricula.

Mrs. Rohatyn also is Chair Emeritus of the New York Public Library, which she served for many years, including as chair of its board. When her husband, Felix Rohatyn, was U.S. Ambassador to France, Mrs. Rohatyn founded the French Regional & American Museum Exchange (FRAME), a coalition of 26 French and North American art museums that sponsors exhibitions, education programs and exchange projects. An international model of cultural diplomacy, FRAME has touched millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic.

In New York City, Mrs. Rohatyn also has served as Vice Chair of public television station WNET 13, and on the boards of New Visions for Public Schools, the Fund for Public Education and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. She also has served on the New York Governor’s Commission on Education and on the Dean’s Council of Harvard University’s School of Education. In 2007, the French government promoted her to the rank of Officier de la Légion d’Honneur.

Mary B. Emory, Médaille d’Or du Mérite Francophone

Mary Emory has an exceptional record of service to French cultural organizations. As president of the Alliance Française of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she oversaw unprecedented growth in membership and established and raised the organization’s first endowment fund.

Several of her local AF initiatives have served as model projects that have been adopted by other chapters in the United States. As a member of the board of directors of the Federation of Alliances Françaises – USA, she edited the Federation’s newsletter communicating with all the Alliances in the United States as well as editing the Federation’s magazine Le Mag. She then served as vice president of the Federation, chaired its annual meeting program, and hosted an annual meeting in her home city of Milwaukee.

In 2009, Ms. Emory became one of the founding members of American Friends of Musée d’Orsay, which she currently serves as secretary. This group supports the mission of the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, which house one of the world’s preeminent collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early modern French art.

Ms. Emory has also worked to improve her city and state by serving as president of Milwaukee’s Skylight Theater; president of Milwaukee’s Friends of the Conservatory of Music; volunteer for more than 30 years for the United Performing Arts Fund; co-chair of the Silver Renaissance Campaign to renovate the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts; president of the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin; and member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Foundation board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School for the Arts Grand Viennese Ball Committee.

Ms. Emory was recognized in 1999 by the French government as a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

Robin Massee, La Médaille d’Or de Solidarité et Valeur

Robin Massee, an American who grew up in France, has made significant contributions to French-American relations in her various roles in New York, including: Vice President of External Affairs at the French Institute-Alliance Française, Director of Communications for French Tourism and Director of Public Relations for the French Cultural Services.

She has coordinated the official visits of two French Ministers of Culture (Jack Lang and François Léotard). She oversaw France Salutes New York, a ten-day performing arts festival at Lincoln Center, and acted as liaison for Liberty Weekend, the Statue of Liberty centennial celebration. She has been responsible for the largest Bastille Day festival in Manhattan, attracting over 15,000 New Yorkers every year.

Ms. Massee has provided leadership in the areas of tourism and French-American relations. In the exceptional spring of 2003, Ms. Massee was instrumental in creating the “Let’s Fall in Love Again” campaign and a video featuring Woody Allen, Wynton Marsalis, George Plimpton, and others, to restore American travel to France. In 2004, she created “Operation Open Arms” to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day with testimonials from American veterans who landed on June 6, 1944 and from Norman French eyewitnesses.

Since founding Massee Productions, a communications and film production company, Ms. Massee’s commitment to both cultures has been at the core of her work. She directed A Hero’s Welcome–A Story of Friendship, Gratitude and Remembrance, showcasing the impact of D-Day on the French- American relationship.

She is currently producing Angels in our Midst: WWII Women Veterans in France to capture the voices of the American women, mainly nurses, who were in France during the war. She is also developing a television series for the U.S. market, French Encounters: On the Road with Robin Massee & Friends, about the gastronomic and art-de-vivre pleasures of France.

In 2005, the French Government named Ms. Massee Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite. Her life’s work, which has bridged these two cultures, embodies the best of both.