HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/02/2025 - Meeting Minutes MINUTES FOR THE
SISTER CITIES ADVISORY BOARD
July 2nd 2025
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Roll Call
• Ross Chambless
• Matilyn Mortensen
• Nicole Gallo
• Sheri Sorenson
• Stacee Adams
• Rose Kjesbo
• Jane Kim
• Annie Quan
Also Present:
• Katherine Matheson (Staff)
• Mariah Johnson (Staff)
The following members of the Sister Cities Advisory Board were absent:
• John Wilson
• Olga Efimova
Approval of the minutes
Review and Approval of May 7th, 2025 Sister Cities Board Minutes -Adams motions.
Mortensen seconds. All approved.
Public Comment
Nathan Rosskelly wanted to volunteer with the Sister Cities Program.
Business
Izhevsk, Russia
• Putting the relationship into emeritus status.
Brian Parrott intro
• Wants to work with the Sister Cities program to bring students into experience SLC.
It is in partnership with the University of Utah.
Staff Report
• Reminder to board members to do their OPMA training.
• World Trade Center Utah programming
o Staff have been working with them to help make connections to SLC and
expand programming.
o One idea that the staff wants to put together is a Sister City Bar Crawl.
■ Mortenson has a contact to assist with this program.
• Peace Gardens
o A group of visitors from Gongyi Province, Korea, is coming to visit at the end
of July. Because they are our Sister State, they are gifting us things for the
Korean Peace Garden Section.
• PenPal Program
o Staff will send the translated program outline documents to board members
so they can help find connections in the various cities.
• Presentation on tabling events
o The board would like to see the pin designs the city made as stickers.
o The slideshow of pictures will be uploaded with the minutes.
• Gift Archive on Sister Cities Website
o Website shared during the meeting: https://sistercities.slc.gov/gifts/
Briefings
• Updates on Sister Cities:
o Torino, Italy
■ Matheson is going to connect Gallo with Wilson to connect with the
University of Utah.
■ Gallo wants to start a student exchange program.
o Chernivtsi, Ukraine
■ Sheri has a contact who could connect us with a school for the pen pal
program.
■ Ukrainian Independence Day is coming up on August 24th in Murray
Park.
• Chambless suggests the board tables, or at least goes to make
connections.
■ Alan's wife is starting a Ukrainian book club and would like support.
■ Chernivtsi is aiming to come and visit towards the end of 2025.
■ Refugee Day had a great turnout.
■ Students are going to the University of Utah on July 20th.
o Keelung, Taiwan
■ N/A
o Matsumoto,Japan
■ Quan is going to connect with Chambless and Matheson after the
Craft Lake City event to get a connection via artists.
o Trujillo, Peru
■ Matheson was contacted by a student from Trujillo and is going to
help make connections.
o Matheson explained that from all of the tabling events, members of the
community are gaining interest and reaching out.
■ Board members were asked to connect with those the staff put them
in contact with so those connections can be maintained.
■ Sister City sub-committees can have an infinite number of members.
• Just inform the staff and board chairs of those connections.
Adjournment
Wilson motions to adjourn. Chambless seconds. All are in favor of adjourning.
There being no further business, the meeting w s djourned.
Ross Chambless, Chairperson
This document and the recording constitute the official minutes of the Economic
Development Sister Cities Advisory Board meeting held on July 2, 2025.