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Board Elections

The Sister Cities International (SCI) Board of Directors is elected by its voting members. The 2022 election will be held virtually with electronic voting. The results of the election will be announced at the SCI Annual Business Meeting scheduled for Friday, July 8, 2022.

More information about member voting can be found in the FAQ section.

Sister Cities International is committed to the values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our organization at all levels.

RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS TO THE 2021 BYLAWS

The recommended Amendments to the Bylaws concern clerical edits to the document, changes to the composition of the Global Awareness Team, addition of Chair Emeritus Council to the Advisory Board section, as well as the addition of the purpose, role, and appointments of Country/Regional Representatives. Please find more details about specific changes under each proposed amendment. Thank you for you dedication and leadership in our world-wide network of Sister Cities International.

Current language: The number of Directors of the Corporation shall be twenty-four (24) to twenty-six (26) and the composition of the Board of Directors shall be as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation; specifically: 

A. Twenty-one Directors, who shall represent the general Voting Members of the Corporation, shall be elected by the Voting Members; 

B. One Director, who shall be a young professional representative and shall be between the ages of 21 and 34 years old at the time of election, and shall be elected by the Voting Members;

C. One Director, who shall be a qualified State Representative, nominated by the Chair and approved by the Board of Directors; 

One Director, who shall be the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, who is elected pursuant to the Bylaws of the Corporation. 

D. No more than two Directors appointed by the Chair, with the consent of the Board of Directors, who provide exceptional skills or resources to the Corporation 

In addition, the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Honorary Board Alumni shall serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Directors, but shall not be considered Directors and shall not have voting rights on the Board of Directors.

Change to: The number of Directors of the Corporation shall be twenty-four (24) to twenty-six (26) and the composition of the Board of Directors shall be as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation; specifically: 

A. Twenty-one Directors, who shall represent the general Voting Members of the Corporation, shall be elected by the Voting Members; 

B. One Director, who shall be a young professional representative and shall be between the ages of 21 and 34 years old at the time of election, and shall be elected by the Voting Members; 

C. One Director, who shall be a qualified State Representative, nominated by the Chair and approved by the Board of Directors; 

D. One Director, who shall be the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, who is elected pursuant to the Bylaws of the Corporation; 

E. No more than two Directors appointed by the Chair, with the consent of the Board of Directors, who provide exceptional skills or resources to the Corporation, and;

F. In addition, the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors, and the Chair of the Honorary Board Alumni shall serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Directors but shall not be considered Directors and shall not have voting rights on the Board of Directors.

Purpose: Clerical. Change format and renumber sub items D, E and F.

Please carefully read the following bylaw amendment, and then cast your vote below. Select one of the responses.

Yes, I approve the amendment.

No, I reject the amendment.

Current language on page 9, Article VI, Section 4: The Global Awareness Team shall serve to extend the leadership representative and operational reach of the Chair and President/CEO, be comprised of the Eisenhower Distinguished Leadership Council, the Mayors Leadership Council, the Global Envoys and Continent/Region/Country Representatives annually nominated by the Chair and approved by the Board of Directors.

Change language on page 9, Article VI, Section 4 to: The Global Awareness Team shall serve to extend the leadership representative and operational reach of the Chair and President/CEO, composed of the Eisenhower Distinguished Leadership Council, Mayors Leadership Council, and the Global Envoys.

AND

Add on page 10: ARTICLE VIII – COUNTRY/REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES 

Section 1. Purpose. Sister Cities International Country/Regional Representatives serve as the operational field team to support the growth and development of the SCI movement. They assist and work with the Corporation to facilitate the formation of new sister community relationships, to advise, assist and provide expertise at the local, municipal, county, state, provincial, territorial, regional, national or international levels, to encourage the growth of member programs and services, to serve as a conduit for communication between member communities and the President/CEO and to ensure dynamic and responsive service to existing relationships according to the Mission of the Corporation.

Section 2. Role. The role of the Country/Regional Representative is to represent Sister Cities International, to grow the network of member communities, to communicate between member communities and the Corporation leadership and staff, to connect member communities to organizations and resources, and to advise and assist member communities.

Section 3. Appointment. Each country within the Sister Cities Membership network may have one or more Country/Regional Representatives. The Chair of the Board of Directors shall nominate individuals to the Board of Directors for appointment as Country/Regional Representatives, as required.

Purpose: Redefine the Global Awareness Team composition and add a new Article to the bylaws to outline the purpose, role, and appointment of Country/Regional Representatives.

Please carefully read the following bylaw amendment, and then cast your vote below. Select one of the responses.

Yes, I approve the amendment.

No, I reject the amendment.

Add: Section 5. Chair Emeritus Council.  The Chair Emeritus Council, comprised of all past Chairs, serves as a historical, organizational and outreach resource, as well as a pool of experienced SCI national executive leadership representatives at the disposal of the Chair. 

Purpose: Content. Add new ARTICLE VI Section 5. Chair Emeritus Council highlighted title and paragraph.

Please carefully read the following bylaw amendment, and then cast your vote below. Select one of the responses.

Yes, I approve the amendment.

No, I reject the amendment.

2022 BOARD ELECTIONS

Nine (9) At-Large Board positions will be filled by election. Seven (7) at-large positions are for full three-year terms (2022-2025), and two (2) at-large positions are for two-year terms (2022-2024).

Voting will begin on Friday, May 27th, 2022, at 11:59 AM EDT and is available through July 7th, 2022, at 11:59 PM EDT, and will be conducted online. The 2022 Board of Directors Election Candidates can be viewed in detail at the button below.

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The application page, to be completed, signed, and scanned, and submitted as a PDF.

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Answers to the narrative portion below, submitted in Word format. All narrative answers will be reproduced  in each candidate’s profile on the SCI website and other election materials produced to voting members.  Please take note of all word count limits throughout the application. If an applicant exceeds the desired  word count, Sister Cities International may edit your response to meet the requirements.

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Headshot/Photograph for use on election materials and ballot, submitted as.jpeg/.png.

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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: 

  1. A brief biographical description, including relevant experience in your sister city program or other organizations (up to 250 words). 
  2. A statement of why you want to run for the Board of Directors (up to 200words). 
  3. The major skills and assets that you will bring to the Board (up to 75words).

SCI 2022 BOARD ELECTIONS CALENDAR

Monday, February 14 – Application posted to SCI website

Monday, April 11 – Applications due by midnight

Monday, April 18 – Thursday, April 21 – Elections Subcommittee reviews applications and certifies candidates

Monday, April 25 – Thursday, April 28 – Board Development Committee meets to review candidates and make recommendations

Friday, May 6 (minimum 60 days prior to Business Meeting) – Certified Candidates and Amendments to the Bylaws posted to website

Monday, May 16 – Friday, May 27 – Preparation of Voting Platform and Mock Election

Monday, May 16 – Friday, May 27 – Virtual Candidates Forum, to be conducted by State Representatives

Friday, May 27 – Voting begins at 11:59 AM EDT and electronic ballots sent to Members

Thursday, July 7 – Voting ends at 11:59 PM EDT

Friday, July 8 – 2022 Virtual Annual Business Meeting

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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 Virtual Annual Business Meeting on Friday, July 8, 2022.

Voters will be sent an electronic ballot and must submit their electronic ballot by Thursday, July 7, at 11:59 PM eastern time.  The Virtual Annual Business Meeting will be held Friday, July 8, 2022.

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 State Representatives that will be posted on the Sister Cities International website.

The Virtual Annual Business Meeting will be on Friday, July 8, 2022.

No. All candidates must commit to attending the Virtual Annual Business Meeting. 

Voting results will be announced at the Virtual Annual Business Meeting on Friday, July 8, 2022.

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 (Annual Business Meeting) [usually mid-July to early-August], 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.

Board members will make a meaningful personal Global Leaders Circle contribution of a minimum $2,500 for each calendar year (or portion of a calendar 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.

Please contact Chair, Carol Robertson Lopez, at [email protected] or the SCI Director of Operations, Kerri Carter, at [email protected].