French Ministry of National Education honors Rhonda Broussard with Global Award
Photo Credit: Audoin de Vergnette, Press Attaché, Consulate General of France in New Orleans
Rhonda Broussard has been named a chevalier (knight) in Ordre de Palmes Académiques (Order of the French Academic Palms). Rodolphe Sambou, Counsel General of France in New Orleans, presided over the investiture in a ceremony held at the Residence of France on the evening of Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
Ms. Broussard, a Lafayette, LA, native, has been recognized for her longstanding contributions to French education and advocacy throughout her career. As the Founder & CEO of Beloved Community, she integrates a language justice perspective into their work, advocating for and elevating opportunities for multilingual communities to author their own solutions. Ms. Broussard previously founded a network of language immersion and International Baccalaureate world schools with French, Spanish, and Mandarin instruction.
This award, given directly by the Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale (French Ministry of National Education), recognizes French and foreign recipients living outside of France for their dedication to actively expanding French education and culture throughout the world. Having been created by Napoleon I in 1808, this award is the oldest non-military French decoration.
“I am deeply humbled to receive this honor from the French Ministry for doing the work that matters the most to me,” said Broussard. “When I committed to holding on to French in our family, I never thought it would lead to a career of language advocacy, I just wanted to stay connected to my grandparents. I inherited a beautiful legacy from them and am honored to fuel the next generation.”
The Consul General of France in Louisiana, Rodolphe Sambou, affirms that “Rhonda Broussard is one of the pillars of the Francophone community in Louisiana. She has dedicated her life to promoting the French language not only in Louisiana, but across the country, through tireless advocacy for equity in education, business, and culture. This award is a well-deserved recognition of her impact.”
Ms. Broussard has been named a Highland Leader, a Tulane Mellon Fellow, a Pahara-Aspen Fellow and an Eisenhower Fellow. She earned an AB, French from Washington University in St. Louis, an MA in French Studies from New York University, Institute of French Studies and has additionally studied education systems in Cameroon, Martinique, Finland, New Zealand and metropolitan France. She is the author of One Good Question: How Countries Prepare Youth to Lead.
About Beloved Community Beloved Community is a national nonprofit committed to racial and economic justice. They work primarily in the MidWest and MidSouth to build capacity for sustainable, local change for youth, families, and workers. This includes supporting regional employer coalitions for Good Jobs, designing the Center for Community Engaged Research, and developing a tipping point model in New Orleans. You can learn more about their strategy and vision here.
For more information, please visit:
www.wearebeloved.org & www.frenchacademicpalms.org/about
Media Contact: info@wearebeloved.org
