AGENDA
July 8th
**Times listed are approximate and may change in real time**
Eastern Daylight Time
Opening Remarks
- Leroy Allala, President & CEO, Sister Cities International
Welcome Message
- Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio, TX; Chairman of Sister Cities International
- Alan Webber, Mayor, City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Undersecretary General Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
- Karen Pence, Second Lady of the United States of America; Honorary Co-Chair, Sister Cities International
Award Presenter
- Leroy Allala, President & CEO, Sister Cities International
Categories
- Population 25,001-50,000
- Population 50,001-100,000
Moderator
- Dr. Jane S. Cahaly, State Representative Liaison & South Carolina State Representative, Sister Cites International
- V.C. Dale Holness, Mayor, Broward County, Florida
- Dr. Alex Akulli, Director, Center for International Studies, University of South Carolina, Upstate; Vice President, Sister Cities International of Greater Spartanburg, South Carolina
MC – Lorna K. Johnson, SCI Board Member, SCI Africa Regional Representative and Principal of Global Linkages, Inc.
- Global Awareness Team Presentation – Mary Palko, Chair, Global Awareness Team, Sister Cities International
- Video from U.S.-Mexico Sister Cities Summit in El Paso, Texas, introduced by: Peter Svarzbein, Board Member, Sister Cities International; Mayor Pro Tem, City of El Paso, Texas
- Report on Wunderbar Together Initiative by:
- Teri Simmons, Director, International & Immigration Practice Group, Arnall Golden Gregory, Atlanta; SCI EU Representative
- Christina Plewinski, Manager of International Relations, City of Nürnberg, Germany
- Message from Prince Kwame Kludjeson, President & Chair, Africa Global Sister Cities
- Meessage from Union of Russian Cities
- Message from Beijing Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
- Excerpt from first SCI Global Conversations with Hon. Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Hellenic Republic (Greece)
Moderator
- Sherry Dowlatshahi, Chief Diplomacy & Protocol Officer, City of San Antonio
- Mark Chandler, Director of Mayor’s Office of Global Engagement, City & County of San Francisco, USA
- Maria Dolores Hernandez Montoya, Director of International Relations, City of Guadalajara, Mexico
- Stéphanie Jecrois, International Affairs Advisor, City of Montreal, Canada
Organizer
- Barbara Shepard, State Representative Liaison & North Carolina State Representative, Sister Cities International
July 9
**Times listed are approximate and may change in real time**
Eastern Daylight Time
Opening Remarks
- Carol Robertson Lopez, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Sister Cities International
Keynote Messages:
- Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
- Shin Koyamada SCI Board and Executive Committee Member; Hollywood Actor (“The Last Samurai”), Chairman of Koyamada International Foundation
- The Honorable Shinsuke Sugiyama, Ambassador of Japan to the United States of America
- Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Award Presenter
- Leroy Allala, President & CEO, Sister Cities International
Categories
- Population 100,001 – 300,000
- Population over 300,001
Moderator
- Afa Dworkin, President and Artistic Director of Sphinx Music
Panelists:
- Stuart Ashman, CEO, International Folk Art Market
- Sunil Iyengar, Research & Analysis Director, National Endowment for the Arts
- Dr. Aaron Prado | San Antonio, Texas, USA | Composer, Piano
- Brandon Guerra | San Antonio, Texas, USA | Digital Production, Percussion
- Anke Schimpf | Darmstadt, Germany | Flute, Saxophone
- Chen Hsien (Max) Huang | Kaohsiung, Taiwan | Trumpet
- Shlomi Cohen | Tel Aviv, Israel | Saxophone
- Prasanna | Chennai, India | Guitar
- Suzette Eises | Windhoek, Namibia | Saxophone
- Tomoko Sonoda | Kumamoto, Japan | Piano
- Vico Diaz | Guadalajara, Mexico | Bass
- Elemotho Gaalelekwe | Windhoek, Namibia | Voice, Guitar
- Carlo Capua | Fort Worth, Texas, USA | Electric Guitar
- Alan Donawa | Georgetown, Guyana | Box Bass
Moderator
- Kevin O’Donnell, Young Professional Representative, Board of Directors, Sister Cities International
Panelists:
- Jessica Coffield, Chair, Saumur, France Committee, Asheville Sister Cities, North Carolina
- Michael Jose Avila, Youth Ambassador, Southern California Sister Cities International
by Suhail Arastu, Board Member, Sister Cities International; Advancement, Musical Bridges Around the World
- Chairman Welcome
- Secretary Report (online election results)
- Treasurer Remarks
Foundation Update
President Remarks - Chairman Presentation/Remarks
- Q&A
- Passing of the Gavel from Chairman to Chair-Elect
- Acknowledgments
Leroy Allala, President & CEO, Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International is continuously striving to expand our member resources. Although this year has brought many challenges, we have enjoyed the opportunity to work with our membership to expand our virtual connections!
This year, we’re tackling the virtual world by introducing our very first Online Conference. As more sister cities programs explore new ways of connecting with their international partners, we thought it appropriate that this year’s conference theme be “Reimagining Citizen Diplomacy: New Connections in a Virtual World”.