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Published: 23 December 2021

Interview with Jean-Luc Nauleau (An 81), AFAM board member since 2007

AFAM: hello, Jean-Luc and thank you for your time. How have you become acquainted with AFAM?

Jean-Luc: I’ve known Eric Benhamou (AFAM president in 2007-2020, President Emeritus) for many years. He is a long-time friend. Eric contacted me and asked to join the board at the very beginning of AFAM, in 2007. I am with AFAM from the first days of the organization existence.

AFAM: When and why did you decide to help American Friends of Arts et Metiers? What was your main motivation?

Jean-Luc: That’s a good question. When Eric asked me to join AFAM, it made a lot of sense. First of all, when I arrived in the USA in 1985 to study in Santa Clara University and later when I stayed in the US, opened my first startup, I did not have enough interactions with other French entrepreneurs, gadz’arts or not. My very first entrepreneurship steps would have been different if I had more connections. Remembering my first business failures and missed opportunities in the nineties , I was very happy to join the organization which mission was to strengthen the community of alumni and students residing in the US and to develop and nurture partnerships and relationships with universities, companies and other partners.

Second, Eric Benhamou was my motivation. The AFAM mission was not so clearly defined yet but when a friend needs help to conduct a project, we are certainly here to lend a helping hand following the best gadz’arts tradition of solidarity. In 2007 Eric was looking for gadz’arts- entrepreneurs to join the board , I was still  an executive of a semi-conductor company and had been doing business is the Silicon Valley for over 20 years. I had a good profile. My company had offices in Europe and Asia as well and I thought I could make a difference for other gadz’arts coming to the US by offering them some connections, organizing events.

In the late nineties, the datacom business was booming and many French entrepreneurs had successful businesses here in the Valley. Being able to exchange ideas and establish a business relationship with some of them would have been beneficial to my own venture.

 Louis Magne (An 130), one of the most distinguished alumni who died at age 106 in 2019 and whose achievements we remembered again on December 8^th this year, the day of this birthday, - made a sizable grant to AFAM back in 2009. It meant that we could do things together with other active gadz’arts to expand AFAM programs across the US.

AFAM: What did you do for AFAM at the beginning for your volunteering experience? What is your role inside the organization now?

Jean-Luc: As AFAM board member, at the beginning my role was to help students who were coming to American Universities. Then after the launch of the Shasta program in 2010 – to help students find internships. At some point, I was less involved in AFAM activities. Other gadz’arts volunteers took the role of a students’ guides, helpers, counselors and referrers.

A few weeks ago, AFAM launched a new Yosemite mentorship program - named after a Californian national park, Yosemite program is designed to help existing and future entrepreneurs understand and develop their companies in the USA.

I am one of the Yosemite mentors along with Xavier Wartelle, Michel Vulpillat, Marc Amblard and Philippe Laurent.

So, this is a new development not only for AFAM (as AFAM targets entrepreneurs with a new program for the first time), but also a new step for me in my long journey alongside AFAM.

AFAM: Do you have any previous experience helping non-profit organizations? Any non-profit you knew of and helped to when you were a student at Arts et Metiers?

Jean-Luc: I realized that I always liked to be in contact with students, to offer them opportunities and to help them out. One of my most exciting volunteering experiences was about helping French-American students from the San Francisco French-American International School to get acquainted with Mexican culture. I am French, living in the US and I love Mexico. So, the idea of encouraging cultural exchange was natural to me.

In 2008 I sponsored a journey to Mexico for 17 French American high school students. We all traveled to Baja California a  stretch of land between the Pacific ocean and the Sea of Cortez , Those students had the opportunity to touch whales in the Bay of San Ignaciao , We visited Mexican schools in very remote areas and established relations with the teachers  there . It was a magical experience for the students, teachers and myself. It was about connecting young people who could maybe start environmental projects in the future.

AFAM: Please tell us a few words about yourself and your current projects. You lived in California and now you are in Colorado. Do you come often back to France?

Jean-Luc: I came in California in 1985 for post-graduate studies after Arts et Metiers. After completing my master’s degree at Santa Clara University, I joined a semi-conductor  startup  located in  SF bay area. The Business was growing rapidly and I decided to stay in the U.S.

In 2018 I moved to Colorado,  I love the outdoors and Western Colorado has so much to offer. After 30 years in the valley, I decided to go for a quieter setting and environment, out of busy life. My house is at 7300 feet in elevation, Elks and Bears  are my new neighbors … I travel back to California very often as I still have business ventures there.

AFAM: Anything you’d like to wish to AFAM?

Jean-Luc: First of all, Happy Holidays to AFAM team! I hope AFAM will expand and continue networking, exchanges and other activities in after COVID-19 times. We all want that our post-pandemic life go to normal, or even become better than that!

Jean-Luc in Colorado ( photo: courtesy of Jean-Luc)

You can easily donate to AFAM: here

You can help AFAM: by becoming a Shasta mentor or our expert/referrer

You can share your ideas with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or any member of our team

Please read other interviews of "Giving back to your community" series:

With Valentin Fehr (Cl 212), our new representive in Atlanta region

With Alain Mutschler ( Ch 190), our Shasta mentor

With Michel Vulpillat (Ch 183), AFAM Southern California representative

With Jean Pommier (An 183), AFAM board member, Shasta committee member and Shasta mentor

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Published: 21 December 2021

2021 is over. What did this year bring to our Arts et Metiers community in the US, to our school and la SOCE?

In 2021 the world was still in pandemic mode as COVID-19 continued its worldwide spread. We hope that the new 2022 will be better with more face-to-face social interactions, less stress and more exciting and new projects. Hopefully in 2022 the pandemic will not dominate our lives.

Looking back to 2021, we would like to mention the following events and reads:

January 2021

• Some of gadz are struggling in the times of COVID-19. Direct Arts et Metiers TV talked about difficulties and opportunities for gadz'arts in 2021:

https://tv.arts-et-metiers.fr/emission4-lemploi-des-gadzarts-face-a-la-crise/

• Arts et Metiers launched initiatives against addictions

February 2021

• AFAM participated in International Week organized by Lille campus
• Angers campus received Innovation prize of CNES for their work on biocomposites

March 2021

• In March our US-based alumni met our Arts et Metiers students online to talk about Georgia Institute of Technology
• AFAM launched a new interview series "Serving businesses and communities" interviewing gadz'arts based in the US working in service companies

April 2021

• In April AFAM first spring apero took place
• AFAM lanched a new interview series "Ad Astra: dreams and reality of aerospace engineering" - interviews with US-based gadz'arts working in an aerospace sector

May 2021

• Gadz story with Hugo Wagner (Bo 211) took place in May 2021
• AFAM participated in la SOCE Spring Open House
• AFAM participated in online Shasta meetings with students

June 2021

• AFAM Welcome meeting with our parcours US and GTL students took place in June
• NYC-based gadz'arts group gathered after a long break
• Humam, non-profit of Arts et Metiers trainees in Paris came to Tunisia to renovate the school in Jenduba (Tunisia)

July 2021

• AFAM launched a series of interviews "Giving back to your community" giving the floor to AFAM volunteers, mentors, board members, group representatives and donors

August 2021

Summer break for everyone!

September 2021

• Arts et Metiers community in San Francisco bay area gathered together to say good-bye to the summer season
• AFAM participated in Entrepreneurship Week 2021
• Arts et Metiers school launched initiative to prevent sexual violence

October 2021

• JENII (Jumeau d'enseignement numérique, immersif et interactif), an Arts et Metiers school project, has been selected among 17 candidates of DemoES, French government initiative

November 2021

• AFAM communty manager visited Arts et Metiers campuses of Paris, Angers and Cluny to meet students and faculty members
• First energy networking for gadz'arts living in the US has been organized
• AMJE Paris received en ENGIE prize for the best project having a positive impact
• 41st edition of Arts et Metiers Forum took place

December 2021

• AFAM launched Yosemite Mentorship Program
• Two of Arts et Metiers students received a prize at Interverse Virtual Reality Challenge (IVRC) exhibition in Japan for Rebirth-2.0 application made for people who suffered from COVID-19

HAPPY NEW 2022 to everyone!!!

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Published: 22 November 2021

AFAM community manager Albina Patou-Chebykina visited the school in November 2021. Every year AFAM community manager visits the school to meet the school teams and inform students about our programs. The exception was made in 2020 because of the Covid-19 spread.

During the one-week November visit Albina met students and faculty members on Paris, Angers and Cluny campuses.

The first day of her visit Albina met with la SOCE representative Cyril Poinsot (Cl 193), former International Projects VP at la SOCE and current international coordinator at ParisTech Alumni.

Cyril mentioned the importance of AFAM's role in students' lives: "For more than 10 years, AFAM has been a helpful support for our Arts & Métiers students attracted by the US. Whatever their target (studies, internships...), AFAM can help while preparing their project, and during their stay."

Cyril Poinsot and Albina Patou-Chebykina during the meeting

Albina met parcours US and other 2nd and 3rd year Paris-based students to talk about Shasta internship program as well as a new entrepreneurship program Yosemite.

Parcours US students could listen to Ariel Cohen-Codar's (Ai 216) testimonial. Ariel could find a moment to come to the school's campus to talk about his experience at Columbia university while he was a parcours US student.

Parcours US students at the meeting with Albina and Ariel

Ariel Cohen-Codar talks about his American experience during the meeting with parcours US students

Reading a message from a 2020 parcours US student who is currently studying at UC Berkeley addressed to 2021 parcours US students

On Thursday on November 18th Albina came to Angers campus where she could meet students interested in the US. The day started with a conversation with Angers director Jean Quessada.

The beautiful City of Angers

Angers students during the Shasta meeting

Hervé Vimond ( An 183) at the meeting with students

On Friday Albina took to the road to Cluny where she could meet the director Michel Jauzein, faculty members and the students.

Thanks to Professor Gérard Poulachon, director of LaBoMaP laboratory, Albina could visit the lab and learn about the research activities on Cluny campus and students projects.

Gérard Poulachon, Professor and LaBoMaP director, in front of students' project (astronomical clock)

Cluny campus

Remains of the original building of the Cluny church, the biggest European church, completely destroyed during the French revolution of 1790

Scarabée d'or is a big project accomplished by Cluny Arts et Metiers students

Cluny students during the Shasta presentation made by Albina Patou-Chebykina and Merwan Benhabib (Ch 203)

Merwan Benhabib (Ch 203) from California talks to Cluny students during the Shasta presentation

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Published: 22 November 2021

US Gadz energy first networking meeting took place on November 9th.

This first-of-its-kind meeting was organized by Patrice Brossard (Bo 195), DG Ameriques, and draw 13 participants, all gadz'arts working in the energy sector in the United States.

Energy sector with centers in Texas and California, is traditionally a very popular working area for gadz'arts based in the US. Our alumni work in such companies as Schlumberger, TOTAL, Subsea7, TechnipFMC, NOV as well as different renewable energy technologies groups and startups.

Patrice Brossard told us about the meeting:

"It was the 1st time that several Gadzarts from the Energy sector met to frame up our "Energy Gadzarts" networking group. My objective is to enhance networking activities among the Gadzarts in USA to help for business relationships in the Energy sector and also help out young Gadzarts to find internships. Next event will be held in person in January to kick-off this initiative."