Why I Am Running for the Board of Directors

Greetings fellow Citizen Diplomats, thanks in advance for considering me to serve in one of the seven three-year term at-large board of director positions for Sister Cities International (SCI) from 2024-2027. Former Civil Rights Activist, Marian Wright Edelman once said, “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.” Beyond growing my professional network of like-minded citizen diplomats and translating my personal and professional international experiences to expand SCI’s exchanges, events, and programs, serving on the board is part of my service to the global society writ large. As a diverse candidate in thought, experiences, and culture, beyond paying dues to society, serving on the board allows me to fulfill my obligation as a Citizen Diplomat to do more to promote peace, especially in a time where polarization is on the rise and the threat of global divides is widening. When the United States sneezes, the world catches a cold. As a result, I believe that cities are the safeguards of democracy, the bedrock of diplomacy, and the global cough drop for a sustainable world order. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to be a part of the global action to reposition cities as the conduit of people-to-people relationships that will heal the global ills of generation now and generation next. I look forward to attending the four annual board meetings, serving on a committee, and being ready to assist my fellow board members with any other priorities that position SCI to thrive for such a time as this.

Bio

Maritza T. Adonis, J.D., MCIArb, CEO of MTA Visions Global CSR & Gov’t Relations is a Citizen Diplomat, Global Advocate, and Subnational Diplomacy expert who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in making a positive impact on a local and global level through professional practice, leadership, and grassroots volunteer service. Adonis has championed prosperity and peace through partnerships with U.S. embassies to execute cultural diplomacy programming; advanced trade cooperation and policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and China; and executed comprehensive local, state, and federal government affairs strategy, from a legal, legislative, and regulatory posture that yielded both political and policy wins for immigrant communities, sustainable businesses, and professional trade organizations.

Adonis has served as a U.S. Delegate for the first people-to-people diplomatic mission between the U.S. and China on economic cooperation; U.S. Delegate for the youth arm of the European People’s Party; and U.S. Youth Delegate for NATO. Adonis founded the Global Advocacy and Diplomacy Working Group at Women in Peace and Security where she contributed to the Biden-Harris transition team’s National Security Strategy, curated programs to educate and recruit diverse U.S. diplomats, hosted Language Diplomacy virtual tables, lobbied government stakeholders to diversify U.S. Department of State and expand aid for COVID19 impacted Peace Corps evacuees, and moderated panels and conversations with high-level stakeholders including most recently the first U.S. Special Representative for Subnational Diplomacy.

Beyond leadership roles, Adonis’s professional experience includes assisting Mayors with crafting their international portfolios, partnerships, and agreements, and serving as ad hoc international affairs and economic development advisors for local and state governments, small businesses, and educational institutions. Additionally, Adonis has trained international affairs professors on how to cultivate culturally competent students, partnered with SCI as a fundraiser and speaker on millennial leadership in global affairs, delivered diplomacy training to delegations of attorneys on human rights missions; partnered with city economic development agencies and ministries of commerce to position entrepreneurs to expand internationally; cultivated sports diplomacy partnerships as the first women Assistant General Manager at FIBA; and advanced thought leadership as Guest Lecturer and curator of training programs on Citizen Diplomacy, International Business, Public Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility at universities and law schools in the U.S. and abroad. Adonis is a Center for Strategic and International Studies National Security and Foreign Affairs Leader Honoree and Founder of Youth Leading Now (recruiting and training youth ages 14-39 to enter politics, diplomacy, peacekeeping, and advocacy.)

Skills and Assets

The major skills and assets that I will bring to the board are as follows but not limited to: program development, membership recruitment and retainment, reputation management, cultural and social competency, senior level diplomatic contacts, leadership development, strategic planning, public-private sector contacts, nonprofit operations, strong governance, networking, writing, local government experience, policy and government affairs, subnational diplomacy expertise, economic development, facilitation, curriculum development, corporate social responsibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion, citizen diplomacy, and public speaking skills.