Nardina Alongi was born and raised in Munich, Germany. She grew up bilingual (German / Italian) and studied Germanic and Romantic Languages in Germany and the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia. In her twelve years of teaching experience, Nardina taught French and German in Canada, France, and the United States at different Language Schools. In 1999 she became the Curriculum Coordinator of the German School of Atlanta. Nardina was editor of German language training materials published by the Goethe Institute and is co-author of a book on the new foreign language teaching standards (5 C’s) published by the American Association of Teaching Foreign Languages (AATG). Nardina has successfully managed the German Language Training Program at BMWMC since 1998. She is also consulting with BMW and other international businesses on the processes and standardization of foreign language and cultural training programs worldwide. Nardina was nominated in 2002 to be the Secretary of Treasury, AATG, SC.