Linda Witt, La Médaille d'Or du Rayonnement Cultural de La Renaissance Française

Linda Witt has dedicated her career to advancing French language and culture across education, business, and the nonprofit sector. With academic training in French and economics, she began her professional path in international product marketing in the high-tech industry, where she helped launch some of the earliest French-language versions of office software suites. Her fluency in French supported collaborations with major French banks and institutions, and she represented her company at global technology expos in La Défense, the business district of Paris, as well as in Hannover, Germany.

In the early 2000s, Linda shifted toward bilingual French-English immersion education. She led the development team at what is now the French International School of Oregon, which has since become the largest French-immersion school in the Pacific Northwest. Her work included managing fundraising efforts, organizing cultural events celebrating French wine, food, and music, and successfully advocating for Portland’s first public French-immersion charter school.

Linda later served for a decade as executive director of the Alliance Française of Portland. Under her leadership, it rose to be the 7th largest in the U.S., launched city-wide film and cultural festivals, and produced the largest Bastille Day celebration on the West Coast. From 2009 to 2024, she also served as vice-president of the Seattle-based French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest, coordinating the region’s largest annual Beaujolais Nouveau festivals in both Portland and Seattle. She currently is an officer on the board of the Alliance Française of Seattle, now the 3rd largest Alliance Française chapter in the United States.

Since 2015, Linda has served on the board of the national Fédération des Alliances Françaises USA, including terms as president and vice-president. She established a national endowment initiative, negotiated a cooperation agreement with the Embassy of France, and created a series of free online cultural programs during the COVID-19 pandemic—programs that continue today.

Her honors include the titles of chevalier and officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques, along with honorary membership in the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF).