Directors Council
Directors Council
Concordia Language Villages is led by an executive director who also holds a position of vice president for international development for Concordia College, and thereby is a member of President's Cabinet. The executive director manages a team of directors who hold responsibility for four program divisions (International Exchange Programs, Summer Programs, Year Round Programs, and Education and Research ) and three support divisions. The director team sets strategic direction with the Executive Council and is charged with all day-to-day program, financial and business operations for Concordia Language Villages. In addition, the directors maintain program and curriculum development that upholds the mission of the Villages and its educational philosophy, as well as hires and trains all program leadership to abide by these principles.
Directors Council Members
Christine Schulze is the vice president for Concordia Language Villages of Concordia College. She has served as the top executive of Concordia Language Villages since 1989, and been on staff for 37 years. During that time, she has been responsible for growing the Villages into a complex networked organization with an annual operating budget of about $12 million, serving 10,500 participants from across the United States and over 30 countries. Schulze is a past dean of the French Language Village; initiated French Voyageur, an innovative language immersion program in a wilderness setting; and has led teacher trainings and abroad sessions.
She has been a keynote speaker on global citizenship skills, language and cultural immersion techniques and creative management techniques in a not-for-profit environment. Schulze currently serves as the chair of the board for the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange in Washington, D.C., an organization which promotes federal policies that support and advance international exchange in all its dimensions. She is a member of the U.S.-Norway Forum, and collaborated with the Department of State to launch an Arabic Language Village in 2006. She currently sits on the advisory board for the Center for Advanced Research in Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota. Schulze also sits on the President’s Cabinet at Concordia College, and is charged with creating a comprehensive approach to K-16 global education at the institution. Schulze earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.
Donna Danièle Clementi is director of education and research at Concordia Language Villages and co-director of the Master of Education in World Language Instruction program at Concordia College. Danièle earned her bachelor’s degree in French from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., and her master’s degree in curriculum development from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is completing her doctorate in Education Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee. She has received numerous awards in honor of her contributions to the field of world language education. These awards include the Supervisor of the Year Award from the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages; WAFLT’s Distinguished Foreign Language Educator Award; ACTFL’s Florence Steiner Award for K-12 Leadership in Foreign Languages; Les Palmes Académiques from the French government. Danièle is currently a member of the ACTFL Board of Directors.
Martin Graefe is the director for year-round programs (programs that emphasize language learning as a lifelong endeavor). He has been on staff at Concordia Language Villages for 25 years, including 10 years as the associate director for operations. He is a native of Germany and has studied French. Martin received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D., and a master’s degree in business administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Since joining the Villages, he has been involved with Rotary International and the American Camp Association, occasionally presenting at its national conference.
Carl-Martin Nelson, a former dean of Waldsee, the German Language Village, is the director of international exchange programs and director of marketing and communications. Carl-Martin has been on staff at Concordia Language Villages for 24 years. He is fluent in German and has studied Norwegian. Carl-Martin graduated from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., with a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in German. He earned his master’s degree in writing from Northeastern University.
Patricia Murasaki Thornton is the director for summer youth programs. She has been on staff for 17 years in the role of two-week facilitator, curriculum developer and dean of the Japanese Language Village. She has extensive professional experience in language and culture education as a teacher, administrator and staff developer. Patricia has served as a director on the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers and on the executive board of the Association of Teachers of Japanese. She has worked with the College Board on National Board Assessments for Japanese Language Teachers and on the development of the Japanese AP exam. Patricia has delivered workshops both nationally and internationally. She holds a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota with a double major in Japanese and East Asian History, an M.A. from the University of St. Thomas in teaching, and a current Minnesota K-12 teaching license.
