The Sister Cities International (SCI) Board of Directors is elected by its voting members. The 2023 election was held virtually with electronic voting. The results of the election were announced at the SCI Annual Business Meeting scheduled on Friday, July 28, 2023. This year, nine (9) at-large board positions were filled by election. Seven (7) at-large positions are for full three-year terms (2023-2026), One (1) at-large position is for a one-year term (2023-2024), and One (1) at-large position is filled by a Young Professional Representative, between the ages of 21 and 34, for a two-year term (2023-2025). Sister Cities International is committed to the values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our organization at all levels. More information about member voting can be found in the FAQ section.
Headshot/Photograph for use on election materials and ballot, submitted as.jpeg/.png.
Letter of support from an elected official or representative of a local sister city program (Board Chair/President/ Committee Head), submitted as a PDF (max size, 1MB). If you have questions about recommender’s eligibility, please contact Leroy Allala at [email protected].
All candidates will receive electronic confirmation of their applications within two days of receipt. If you do not receive confirmation within two days, please contact l[email protected] or call 202-347-8630.
Please be sure to review the FAQ for Board applicants, available online here.
Narrative Portion: Please submit answers to the following in Word format with your application materials:
Date: June 14, 2023 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
The following proposed amendments to the Sister Cities International bylaws have been approved by the Governance Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. Per our bylaws, any amendments to the bylaws must be approved by two-thirds or more of the votes cast by members.
Below is a list of nine (9) proposed bylaw amendments showing the original text, proposed changes in yellow, and the rationale for each proposed change.
Amend Text to add: “Chair and Vice Chair” where only “Chair” is specified.
Rationale: The Bylaws should reflect that the details for Chair and Vice Chair related to length of term, removal, replacement, and term limits are the same.
Original Text: “All candidates presented to the members for election shall be required to attend the Annual Meeting of the Corporation and participate in candidate forums and functions as determined by the Governance Committee; however, the Board of Directors may excuse the absence of a candidate at the Annual Meeting and/or any candidate forums and functions in the limited situations of a sudden emergency that precludes the attendance of such candidate.”
Amend Text to: “All candidates presented to the members for election shall be required to attend the Annual Meeting of the Corporation in person and participate in candidate forums and functions as determined by the Governance Committee; however, the Executive Committee may excuse the absence or allow virtual attendance of a candidate at the Annual Meeting and/or any candidate forums and functions in the limited situations of exceptional circumstances that preclude the attendance of such candidate.”
Rationale: This clarifies the in-person requirement of board candidates, leaving room for the Executive Committee to grant exceptions under special circumstances.
Original Text: “To be declared eligible and qualified as a candidate by the Governance Committee, a person must notify the Committee in writing, which must be received on a date by the Committee that is not less than sixty days in advance of the Annual Meeting, must provide a current photo and brief personal biography, must provide a personal statement of candidacy, must declare to which position on the Board of Directors that he/she wishes to be a candidate, and must provide an official letter from a Voting Member of the Corporation, or an elected official, endorsing his/her candidacy.”
Amend Text to: “To be declared eligible and qualified as a candidate by the Governance Committee, a person must notify the Committee in writing, which must be received on a date by the Committee that is not less than sixty days in advance of the Annual Meeting, must provide a current photo and brief personal biography, must provide a personal statement of candidacy, must declare to which position on the Board of Directors that he/she wishes to be a candidate, and must provide an official letter on behalf of a Voting Member of the Corporation, or an elected official, endorsing his/her candidacy.”
Rationale: This gives some latitude to the official letter, since 1) Cities are the actual members, not the nonprofit organizations that represent them, and 2) it would also allow a high-ranking government official (i.e., City Manager, Chief of Staff, etc.) who is not an elected official to submit a letter of recommendation.
Original Text: By virtue of being elected Vice Chair, the Vice Chair shall automatically be elected to and assume the office of Chair of the Board of Directors upon the expiration of the term of office of the Chair. In the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume the office of Chair to complete the unexpired term and shall succeed himself/herself as Chair, as would have naturally occurred if there had been no vacancy in the office of Chair.
The term of office of the Vice Chair shall be two years.
Add to Article IV: All Board members who have served a minimum of one year on the Board are eligible to be elected as Vice Chair regardless of remaining Board term tenure.
Rationale: Clarifying that if a Board member is elected Vice Chair, they are eligible to hold the position regardless of when their term as board member would have expired. Additionally, clarifying that board members must have served at least one year on the board before they can be elected Vice Chair.
Original Text: “A. Promptly and accurately prepare the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Annual or Regional Conferences, and Annual Meeting. An audio or video recording of meetings may be maintained for additional record keeping purposes of the Corporation.”
Amend Text to: “Promptly and accurately prepare the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and the Annual Meeting. An audio or video recording of meetings may be maintained for additional record keeping purposes of the Corporation.”
Rationale: The Secretary prepares minutes from meetings, not from Conferences.
Original Text: “Official business of the Corporation, including the consideration and passage of resolutions, and the adoption of Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and/or Bylaws of the Corporation, may be conducted and transacted at the Annual Meeting.”
Amend Text to: “Official business of the Corporation, including the consideration and passage of resolutions, and the adoption of Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and/or Bylaws of the Corporation, shall only be conducted and transacted at the Annual Meeting.”
Rationale: We cannot make these types of changes at any meeting other than our Annual Meeting.
Original Text: “Directors may participate in person or via electronic or telephonic means for purposes of establishing a quorum and taking action at a Special Meeting.”
Amend Text to: “Directors may participate in person or via electronic or telephonic means for purposes of establishing a quorum and taking action at a Regular or Special Meeting.”
Rationale: Need to add “Regular” meeting to this wording to adjust to a post-COVID world where virtual meetings have become standard.
Original Text: Voting in elections of the Board of Directors shall be done by secret ballot, either by electronic mail, postal mail, or in person. Mail ballots shall be received by the Governance Committee not less than ten days prior to the Annual Meeting. No Voting Member shall be authorized to vote by both mail and in person on the same question or matter. Voting at any conference or meeting may be done by roll call, voice, secret ballot, show of hands or signs, or otherwise as determined at the time of each vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted at any conference or meeting, whatsoever, of the Corporation.
Amend Text to: “Voting in elections of the Board of Directors shall be done by secret ballot, either electronically or in person. Mail ballots shall be received by the Governance Committee not less than ten days prior to the Annual Meeting. No Voting Member shall be authorized to vote by both mail and in person on the same question or matter. Voting at any conference or meeting may be done by roll call, voice, secret ballot, show of hands or signs, or otherwise as determined at the time of each vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.”
Rationale: We do not support mail ballots anymore. Additionally, some cities spread their multiple votes among different representatives of their member city. If some of those representatives came in person and others attended virtually, the city’s total votes would be a combination of in-person and electronic votes.
Original Text: The corporation shall comply with all federal, state and local laws prohibiting unlawful discrimination.
Amend Text to add: “The corporation shall comply with all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting unlawful discrimination and is committed to organizational transparency and accountability.”
Rationale: Adding this clause specifies our commitment to the value of transparency and accountability.
For any questions or clarification, please contact:
Carlo Capua
Chair, Governance Committee
[email protected]
Please note that some details have changed as we have switched to only a Virtual Annual Business Meeting.
After candidates have been certified by the Elections Committee of the Board of Directors, the candidates will be presented to Sister Cities International voters via electronic communications as well as postings on our website. Voting will be open for approximately six weeks prior to the Annual Business Meeting on Friday, July 28, 2023.
Voters will be sent an electronic ballot on Friday, June 16 at 11:59 a.m. Eastern Time and must submit their electronic ballot by Thursday, July 27, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Election winners will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting held on Friday, July 28, 2023.
Directors are elected by SCI’s member communities, with one or more representatives from each community serving as the voter(s)/delegate(s). Electronic ballots are sent to the primary contact SCI has on record, which is often either the President & CEO, Board Chair, or city liaison for a member community.
Yes. Votes are weighted as either two, three, or four votes depending on the size of the community.
Candidates’ answers to the narrative questions – bio, why you are running, skills and assets – will be provided to members. There will also be a virtual candidate forum conducted by the SCI State Representatives that will be posted on the Sister Cities International website.
The Annual Business Meeting will be on Friday, July 28, 2023, in Durham, North Carolina.
No. All candidates must commit to attending the Annual Business Meeting.
Voting results will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting on Friday, July 28, 2023.
There are up to twenty-seven (27) members of the Board of Directors, including the Chair, Immediate Past Chair (Chair Emeritus), twenty-one (21) At-Large Members, one Young Professional Representative, one State Representative, and two (2) members appointed by the Chair with the approval of the rest of the Board. The twenty-one (21) At-Large Directors serve three-year terms, with the other five serving two-year terms.
The Executive Committee is composed of the Board Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and three (3) At-Large members. In addition to the Executive Committee, there are committees for Audit, Board Development, Finance, Fund Development, Governance, Human Resources, Membership, and Strategy & Programs. Committees include Directors, State Representatives, Honorary Board Members, or others appointed by the Board Chair. Ad hoc committees or task forces may also be created at the Chair’s discretion.
The Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and the three (3) At-Large Executive Committee members are elected by the Board during the final Board meeting of the summer leadership meetings, following the election and appointment of new Directors. Officers are elected each year, except for the Vice Chair, who is elected every other year, and who assumes the position of Board Chair upon the expiration of the Chair’s term.
Each Director must attend four Board meetings every year: two meetings at the Summer Leadership Meetings (coinciding with the Annual Business Meeting) [usually July], one Fall Leadership Meeting, [usually in October with the location determined by the Board Chair], and one at the Spring Leadership Meeting [generally in March in Washington, DC.] All dates and locations are subject to change. In addition, each Director must serve on at least one committee, which typically meets once per month via conference call, and which may include additional tasks depending on the committee. The Officers’ responsibilities can be found in Sister Cities International’s Bylaws.
Candidates seeking these positions must agree to all requirements listed in the Board application. If elected, you must attend the four leadership meetings annually. Board members are required to make a meaningful Global Leaders Circle contribution of a minimum $2,500 by September 1 for each year they serve on the Board of Directors. Board Member Global Leader Circle contributions are expected during the first quarter of each calendar year unless individual special installment arrangements are pre-approved by the Board Chair. In addition, each Director is expected to bear the cost of travel, hotel, and incidental expenses for the four (4) required Board meetings.
Each Director must sign Sister Cities International’s Disclosure Statement, Conflict of Interest policy, and Code of Ethics upon assumption of Board duties.
Bylaws, Board Policies, and other important institutional documents can be found at https://sistercities.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-2023-Sister-Cities-International-Bylaws-Final-SIGNED.pdf
Please contact Chair, Peter Svarzbein, at [email protected] or the SCI Director of Operations, Kerri Carter, at [email protected].
Board Orientation is offered within the first month of the election at a date to be determined.