SCI: About Sister Cities - Press Releases

SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES OFFICERS FOR 2006-2007 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2006

Media Contact:Amanda Straub, 202.347.8630 ext. 4877, communications@sister-cities.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sister Cities International announces that eight members of the Sister Cities International Board of Directors were chosen to serve in officer positions. Members were elected to the Board on July 15, 2006 during the Annual Board Meeting at the Sister Cities International 50th Anniversary Conference in Washington, D.C.

Mae Ferguson of Fort Worth, Texas was elected president of the Sister Cities International Board of Directors. Ferguson has served as first vice president of the Board and is the third woman to be president. She is currently executive director of Fort Worth Sister Cities International. Previously, Ferguson served as vice president of the Child Study Center Foundation and development director of the American Heart Association.

Pat Fallin of Aspen, Colorado was elected first vice president. Fallin was previously secretary and second vice president on the Sister Cities International Board. Through her work with Sister Cities International, she has helped establish ten new sister city organizations in Colorado. Fallin is a member of the State Central and Executive Committees of the Democratic Party and is vice president of the League of Women Voters in Colorado.

Jane Wood of Jacksonville, Florida was elected second vice president. Wood has been involved with the Jacksonville Sister Cities Association since 1988 and has served as the organization?s president, vice president and chaired its many committees. She has visited Russia, China and France where she helped facilitate cultural, educational, and professional exchanges between Jacksonville and its sister cities. She is a published author and former educator.

Michael Hyatt of Fort Worth, Texas was elected treasurer. Hyatt has been involved with Fort Worth Sister Cities since 1988 and has served as economic development chair, Nagaoka City chair, board member, president, Mexico search committee chair, and long range planning chair. He is currently a financial advisor with UBS and has worked at Texas Commerce Bank, InterFirst Bank, Metroplex National Bank, First National Bank of Fort Worth and the U.S. Army.

Kathleen Roche-Tansey of Solana Beach, California was elected secretary. She has been involved with Sister Cities International since 1987 and was the founding president of the San Diego International Sister City Corporation. She has also served as state coordinator for Southeast California and as chair for all state coordinators for Sister Cities International. Roche-Tansey has represented San Diego at meetings and visits to Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Russia.

Councillor Alan Chambers of Bangor, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom was elected to the Executive Committee. Councillor Chambers has been on the Sister Cities International board for three years and was the first international member elected. He operates a family run grocery business in Groomsport and was previously an elected Councillor on the North Down Borough Council. He has also served as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of North Down.

Enda Brennan of Santa Cruz, California was also elected to the Executive Committee. He is the chair of the Santa Cruz-Alushta, Ukraine committee and is treasurer of the city-wide sister city committee. He has made trips to Santa Cruz's sister cities in Ukraine, Japan, Italy and Nicaragua. Brennan is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the Harvard School of Law and has a criminal law practice in California.

Mayor Brad Cole of Carbondale, Illinois was elected ethics officer. Mayor Cole was elected Mayor in 2005 after serving on the City Council for four years. Mayor Cole helped establish a sister city relationship with Shimla, India and commissioned the construction of the Friendship Plaza in downtown Carbondale to commemorate the positive nature of international connections. He has previously served as deputy chief of staff to the Governor of Illinois, was assistant director of the Southern Illinois University Alumni Association and a research assistant in the Southern Illinois University Office of Economic and Regional Development.

About Sister Cities International
Representing more than 2,500 communities in 137 countries, Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org) is a citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and communities abroad. Begun in 1956 after a White House summit where U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for people-to-people exchanges, sister city partnerships are tailored to local interests and increase global cooperation at the grassroots level. Sister Cities International promotes peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation by focusing on sustainable development, youth and education, arts and culture, humanitarian assistance and economic growth programs.

###