Our Team

Staff

Board

Madame Rose: Director, Board President, Instructor

“Knowing another language opens up our minds and strengthens our communication skills. It’s never too early or too late to learn French

Rose Mingo-Holtz came from the islands of Haiti where French and Creole are the official languages. She speaks four different languages: French, Creole, English and Spanish. 

Madame Rose’s 10+ year-teaching career spans diverse age groups, languages and skill sets. Her experience includes instructing French Continued Education at Normandale Community College, Middle School French at Oak Grove Bloomington Public Schools, French & Spanish at Sunrise Montessori, French Community Education in Bloomington, Chaska, and Richfield. Additionally, running French summer camps at St. Croix Montessori and serving as a paraprofessional in Special Education at Eden Prairie Schools.

In Rose’s words,  “Teaching French c’est fantastique! I believe that French can be learned as a second language in a fun and wonderful atmosphere.”

Our Teachers & Staff

  • Madame Amelia, Instructor

    Mme Amelia is a Preschool Assistant and Summer Camp School-Age Lead Teacher. Amelia has been attending Mes Amis since the age of 3 and speaks both French and Spanish fluently. She recently earned an Associate Degree at Normandale Community College, where she was captain of the synchronized swimming team. She then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Elementary Education at the U. At Mes Amis, she helps in the Preschool Room as well as the After School Program part-time as a Teacher Aide. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, swimming, and going to the cabin.

  • Madame Schmalz, Instructor

    Mme Schmalz is from Rockford, Illinois.  She attended Lawrence University in Wisconsin, where she received a BA in English and Linguistics. During this time she studied in Besançon, France. Later on Mme Schmalz attended the U of M Twin Cities where she received her teaching licensure in Elementary Education. Mme Schmalz lives with her husband and her three daughters in Minnetonka. When she is not at Mes Amis she is spending time with family, writing, reading, and walking her two pit bulls. "Mes Amis is part of our family.  My daughter attended the after school program and now works in the summer as an assistant. I love being part of the Mes Amis community.”

Our Board of Directors

  • Cyriaque Puemi Sukam (“CS”), Vice President

    After leading, pro-bono, the strategic planning process that resulted in the creation of the foundation, CS joined the board when it was formed in 2021. Two of his children have attended Mes Amis French School for several years. 

    A native French speaker, CS grew up in an environment and household where multiple languages were spoken simultaneously, which instilled in him a passion and advocacy for everyone, at any age, to learn a second or third language. In today’s increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, proficiency in other languages is a vital skill that gives each of us the opportunity to engage with one another and the world in a more immediate and meaningful way. 

    Professionally, CS has more than 20 years’ experience in strategy, transformation, and P&L, with roles of increasing responsibilities at several Fortune 500 companies and in consulting. In his spare time, CS is also an advocate for adoption, foster care, family reunification, reproductive rights, and religious tolerance.

  • Kimberley Darnall Johnson, Secretary

    Kimberley joined the Board at its inception in 2021, after 8 years of being an active parent volunteer and volunteer coordinator for the Mes Amis French School. Her child participated in the afterschool program at Mes Amis for 8 years and is now a volunteer. 

    Kimberley grew up in a bilingual household and is bilingual herself thanks to her French mother and American father. She is passionate about French culture and language instruction as well as bilingual education. 

    Professionally, Kimberley specializes in research and strategy in support of marketing, digital product development, product design, and service design. In her free time, she enjoys walking, reading, and cooking.

  • Holly Davis, Treasurer

    Holly Davis joined the board in 2025, and has been a Mes Amis parent since 2023. Her children have participated in the toddler, preschool, and summer camp programs. Holly’s family speaks three languages at home, and prioritizes a multi-cultural and multi-lingual education. Holly supports the Foundation and Mes Amis French school because of the educational standards in the classroom, the emphasis on community, and appreciation of different cultures that have led to exceptional experiences for both of her children.

    Holly brings to the board 20 years of nonprofit experience, including in finance, operations, HR, and security.ion goes here

  • Vida Edmond, Member at Large

    Vida Edmond joined the Mes Amis Board in 2023, after volunteering as an ad-hoc helper in the Mes Amis classrooms since 2020.

    Vida has a BA from the University of Minnesota with a major in English Literature and a minor in French. She retired at the end of 2019 after a 42-year career at Ameriprise Financial, where she worked on a variety of technology software projects. She describes her work as a Business Systems Analyst as “a translator” between business and Technology people to implement system changes which meet business needs. 

    Vida’s parents were multilingual. Her father was Serbian, born in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, and emigrated to the U.S. after WWII to finish his education. He met her mother in graduate school in New York City, which is where Vida was born. After a few cross-country moves the family settled in Fargo, ND, where her father was a university professor and her mother was a librarian at North Dakota State University.  

    This dual culture upbringing gave Vida an appreciation for the value of connecting with people from different countries, reinforced by multiple visits to Belgrade and one to Paris to visit her father’s family.

    Vida lives in Minnetonka with her husband, Tom. Their daughter lives in NYC but is planning to move back to MN soon. Vida has been a member of St. David’s Episcopal church since the early 90’s and is a member of both parish and bell choirs, Chairman of the Endowment Committee, and lately participating in training for lay Pastoral Care.