Agnès NdiayeTounkara, La Médaille d’Or des Valeurs Francophones

Agnès Ndiaye Tounkara

La Médaille d’Or des Valeurs Francophones

This medal recognizes those who devote themselves to the development

or t ightening of linguistic or cultural ties between France and other

countries sharing the French language, or to the development of the

French language and culture in their country.

Agnès Ndiaye Tounkara is an educator, program leader, and advocate whose career has been dedicated to promoting linguistic diversity, French language education, and the richness of francophone cultures around the world. With over 15 years of experience in teaching, program design, and educational leadership, she has consistently championed the inclusion of immigrant and French heritage speakers in U.S. schools, ensuring that their cultural and linguistic identities are recognized as assets. In recognition of her accomplishments, she has been awarded the rank of chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques.

Born in Senegal and educated in France, Agnès brings a global perspective that informs her work in building inclusive educational communities. As Education Expert at the French Embassy in the U.S., she oversaw more than 10 programs nationwide serving francophone immigrant youth. She expanded access to the Seal of Biliteracy, created mentoring and college readiness programs with French companies and leading universities, and elevated the visibility of French heritage speakers through national advocacy and conference presentations.

Earlier in her career, she transformed language and after-school programs at the Alliance Française of Boston and the French-American School of New York, growing enrollment and establishing sustainable initiatives that blended academic rigor with cultural enrichment. She later continued this work as a high school French teacher and World Languages Assistant Department Head in New York City, and now at Sacred Heart Greenwich, where she blends classroom teaching with fostering engaging and culturally sustaining curricula.

Agnès has contributed to works such as French All Around Us (2022) and A Bilingual Revolution for Africa (2023), and she regularly presents at conferences of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL), and the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) to share strategies for equity‑centered language education. For her, the teaching of French is not just about grammar or vocabulary but about celebrating diversity, building intercultural connections, and preparing students to thrive in a multilingual world.