2020 Annual Conference
Thank you for your donation Daryl Walker, Dinah V Ryan, Lowell Bryan, Ian Cook, Mary Blankenship Pointer, David Barrutia, Geraldine Maxwell Jones, Lisa Bakerink, Gilbert Garcia, Bill Evans, Ellen I Goldberg, John Dabeet, Ricki Garrett, Jefferson Svengsouk, Presley Guio, Jane Cutler, Christine Warnke, Sonja Mejlaender, Frank Villani, Andrew Powell, Cynthia Miller, Lynn S Miyauchi, Patrick Gormalley, Chen Xiaojun, Shahrzad Dowlatshahi, Cynthia Elliot, Gary W Henry, Gislin Dagnelie, Andree Farley, Carolina Rendeiro, Kay Sargent, Tim Quigley, Mary Margaret Pat Fallin, Dr Michael McQuary, Carol Lopez, William Boerum, Kate Helwig, Helene Schneider, Aldon Kinney, Janet Downey, Michael Gardenswartz, Victoria Schwartz, Muhammad Sheikh, Shin Koyamada, Richard Buckler, Dawn Weinraub, Gayle Stallings, Heather Cunningham, Susan Minott, Smyrna Melvin-Young, Carol Lopez, Barbara Shepard, Peter Svarzbein, Anthony Anderson, Tony Phillips, Jennifer Priest, Mehran Shahidi, Justin Stenger, Linda Pfaff, Patricia Elwood, Carolyn Bishop, BMAXX Enterprises, Marianne Winfield, Eileen Kret, Robert Michaelson, Peter DuMont, Anthony Al-Jamie, Shafiqur Rahman, Kathy Houlihan, Thelma Press, Mark Walton, John Caputo, ALR Creative Services, Marla Wolkowitz, Carlos Reyes, Kathleen McCann, Aileen Chambers, Deborah Austin, Linda Roth, Deborah Givens, Crave Technologies, Ann K Lindsey, Laura Giroux, Jeff J Case, Bob Perez, Nancy Granovsky, Culver City Sister City, Michael Hyatt, Marcy Gitt, Randolph Russel, Jane Gehlhausen, Frederick Blanton, Jane Cahaly, Donna Scantlebury, Albert Dotson, William Knegendorf, Pelton Stewart, Len Olender, John Wolfe, Patricia Suppes, Sun City Entertainment LLC, Carl Lankowski, Donald Voss, Teri Simmons, James Donovan, Sophya Tabarovsky, Suhail Arastu, Paul Amamoo, Bonnie Manzon, Mary Neilson, Margaret Saavedra, Isabel Eleazar, Burga Santiago, Lorna Johnson, Cynthia Johnson, Giahao Ryan, Zeno Tutino, Richard Gerrard, Kristy Holch, Mary Palko, Pat Fallin, Susan Stone, Reinhold Schlieper, Alexis Gordon, Creighton Reinhard, Chiaki Al-Jamie, George Barks, Jay Tipirneni, C Hodshire, Neo-Tech South Inc, Sylvia Sass, Nevenka Lutzow Bralic, Gloria Hagans, Catherine Seagren, Councilmember Pio Renteria, Digital Health Info Network Inc, Maureen Dugan, W Fontaine Belle, Dorothy Kittaka, Chris Morriss, Dianne Peterson, Antonio Marcelli, Clare Petrich, Raul Peralez, Austin Esogbue, Frankie Gillette, Laura Smit, Matthias Hilger, Miriam Kramer, LueRachelle Brim-Atkins, Andrea Press, Diane Jacobus, Sharon Hargraves, Oscar Garcia, Polly Yu, Kathleen Kimura, Alfreda Lanier, BMAXX Enterprises, Nancy Perdomo, Lina Corinth, Cynthia A Bonta, Meriel Burgess Wright, Cheryl Laflen, Robert Harvaky,
Dear SCI Annual Conference Attendees,
Thank you for taking the time to attend our first ever Virtual Annual Conference! Our 2020 Annual Conference, “Reimagining Citizen Diplomacy: New Connections in a Virtual World” was brought to life through the involvement that everyone has had in the new territory of the online conference.
We had over 2,900 unique participants throughout the two-day conference, resulting in amazing questions and comments from viewers to our panelists and speakers!
We would like to extend our appreciation to our panelists, speakers, moderators, performers, and others who were a part of the conference. And of course, a very special thank you goes out to you all – our attendees – for your participation, investment, and donations to Sister Cities International!
If you haven’t had a chance to donate but would still like to, you can still make your greatly appreciated donation.
We’ve prepared a short survey for you all in order to know your thoughts on the conference. We greatly appreciate you supporting us by taking a couple of minutes to complete this survey.
We are extremely grateful to have experienced this virtual annual conference with you all for the first time and hope that we can be just as innovative for our events to come!
Until then,
Until then,
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
- Innovation in Arts and Culture
- Innovation in Humanitarian Assistance
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
- Population under 25,000
- Population 25,001-100,000
- Population over 100,000
Moderator – 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 Mexico-U.S. Sister Cities Mayors’ Summit in El Paso and Juarez, introduced by: Peter Svarzbein, Board Member, Sister Cities International; Mayor Pro Tem, City of El Paso, Texas
- Wunderbar Together: Building strong U.S.-German Sister Cities Programs
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 and Moderator
- Barbara Shepard, State Representative Liaison & North Carolina State Representative, Sister Cities International
July 9th
**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:
- Hon. Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities
- H.E. Lin Songtian, President, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
- 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
- H.E. 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
- Innovation in Youth and Education
- Youth Leadership Award
- Volunteer of the Year
- Population under 25,000
- Population 25,001-100,000
- Population over 100,000
- Announced by Fred Blanton
Moderator
- Afa Sadykhly 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
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
SPEAKERS, PANELISTS AND PERFORMERS
DIONNE WARWICK
Singer, actress and former United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and United States Ambassador of HealthSpeaker and Performer
Karen Pence
Second Lady of the United States of America; Honorary Co-Chair, Sister Cities International
Keynote Address
Kinan Azmeh
Clarinet player and composer of contemporary musicPerformer
Marie Royce
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural AffairsKeynote Speaker
Natalia Kanem
United Nations Under – Secretary General and Executive Director of UNFPA
Speaker
Josephine Beavers
Jazz Vocalist
Performer
Ron Nirenberg
Mayor of San Antonio; Chairman of Sister Cities InternationalWelcome Remarks
ALAN WEBBER
Mayor, City of Santa Fe, New MexicoGuest Speaker
CAROL ROBERTSON LOPEZ
Vice Chair, Board of Directors of Sister Cities InternationalMaster of Ceremonies
Leroy R. Allala
President & CEO, Sister Cities International
Opening and Closing Remarks;
Master of Ceremonies
Shin Koyamada
SCI Board and Executive Committee Member; Hollywood Actor (“The Last Samurai”), Chairman of Koyamada International Foundation
Presenter
Teri A. Simmons
Director, International & Immigration Practice Group, Arnall Golden Gregory, Atlanta; SCI EU RepresentativeSpeaker
Mary Palko
Chair, Global Awareness Team, Sister Cities InternationalSpeaker
Lorna K. Johnson
SCI Board Member, SCI Africa Regional Representative; Principal of Global Linkages, Inc.
Moderator
Geoffrey R. Pyatt
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Hellenic Republic (Greece)Speaker
H.E. Shinsuke J. Sugiyama
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan
Keynote Speaker
Peter Svarzbein
Board Member, Sister Cities International; Mayor Pro Tem, City of El Paso, TexasPresenter
Jane S. Cahaly
State Representative Liaison & South Carolina State Representative, Sister Cites InternationalModerator
Prince Kwame Kludjeson
President & Chair, Africa Global Sister CitiesSpeaker
Dale V.C. Holness
Mayor, Broward County, FloridaPanelist
Alex Akulli
Director, Center for International Studies, University of South Carolina Upstate; Vice President, Sister Cities International, Greater Spartanburg, SCPanelist
Barbara Shepard
State Representative Liaison & North Carolina State Representative, Sister Cities International
Organizer and Moderator
Shahrzad (Sherry) Dowlatshahi
Chief Diplomacy & Protocol Officer, City of San AntonioModerator
Mark J. Chandler
Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of International Trade and CommercePanelist
Maria Dolores Hernandez Montoya
Director of International Relations, City of Guadalajara, MexicoPanelist
Stéphanie Jecrois
International Affairs Advisor, City of Montreal, CanadaPanelist
Afa Sadykhly Dworkin
President and Artistic Director of Sphinx Music
Moderator
Stuart Ashman
Chief Executive Officer of International Folk Art MarketPanelist
Sunil Iyengar
Research and Analysis Director for the National Endowment for the ArtsPanelist
KEVIN O’DONNELL
Young Professional Representative, Board of Directors, Sister Cities InternationalModerator
JESSICA COFFIELD
Chair, Saumur, France Committee, Asheville Sister Cities, North CarolinaPanelist
Michael Avila
Youth Ambassador, Sister Cities International Southern California ChapterPanelist
SUHAIL ARASTU
Board Member, Sister Cites International; Advancement, Musical Bridges Around the WorldYogi & Coordinator
Kevork Mourad
Visual ArtistPerformer
Clarence Anthony
CEO & Executive Director, National League of CitiesRemarks
hiromi morris
President, Sister Cities New ZealandRemarks
Marcus Boshier
Board Member, Sister Cities New ZealandRemarks
Ray Wallace
Vice President, Sister Cities New ZealandRemarks
Christina Plewinski
Manager of International Relations, City of Nürnberg, GermanyRemarks
Sister City Jazz Ensemble
Aaron Prado
Composer, Piano
Brandon Guerra
Digital Production, Percussion
Anke Schimpf
Flute, Saxophone
Shlomi Cohen
Saxophone
Prasanna
Guitar
Suzy Eises
Saxophone
Tomoko Sonoda
Piano
Vico Diaz
Bass
Elemotho Gaalelekwe
Voice, Guitar
Carlo Capua
Electric Guitar
Alan Donawa
Box Bass
Max Huang
Trumpet