In the January 31, 2024 Annual Membership Meeting of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. (BSC), the following items (A, B, C, and E) will be submitted for approval by the BSC membership. The meeting will be held online via Zoom at 6:00pm ET. The information has been posted on this webpage so that members have a chance to review it before the meeting.
Who can vote in the BSC Annual Membership Meeting:
- Members of BSC’s constituent sister city committees who have paid their 2024 membership dues — both Regular and Associate level members.
On this page below:
- A. 2023 Accomplishments Report
- B. 2024 Plan
- C. Board Elections
- D. Sister City Committee Chairs
- E. Amendments to BSC’s Bylaws
A. 2023 Accomplishments Report
(for BSC-level activities and activities for the constituent sister city committees)
View proposed 2023 Accomplishments Report (PDF, 4.2mb)
Proposed PDF posted on: 2024-01-24 4:00pm ET
Final PDF posted on: 2024-02-17
B. 2024 Plan
(for BSC-level activities and activities for the constituent sister city committees)
View proposed 2024 Plan (PDF, 2.1mb)
Proposed PDF posted on: 2024-01-21 7:06pm ET
Proposed PDF updated on: 2024-01-28 5:41pm ET (minor text edit on p7)
Final PDF posted on: 2024-02-17
C. Board Elections
Below is the list of board directors that represent sister city committees and other organizations on our board, as defined in our bylaws.
Persons indicated in bold font with an asterisk (*) are nominees, up for election this year. These nominations were made by the sister city committees and other organizations represented on our BSC, Inc. board. Opposing nominations, if desired, can be made at the January 31, 2024 Annual Membership Meeting.
Persons WITHOUT an asterisk are in the middle of their board term and therefore NOT up for reelection on January 31, 2024.
| Organization | Representative | Term (2 years) |
|---|---|---|
| BSC: | Changwon (BCSCC) Representative: Michelle Lee | 2023 & 2024 |
| | Gbarnga (BGSCC) Representative: Luana Kiandoli * | 2024 & 2025 |
| | Kawasaki (BKSCC) Representative: Jay Gordon | 2023 & 2024 |
| Luxor-Alexandria (BLASCC) Representative: Jon Davol * | 2024 & 2025 | |
| | Odesa (BOSCC) Representative: Karina Mandell * | 2024 & 2025 |
| | Rotterdam (BRSCC) Representative: Gary Davison * | 2024 & 2025 |
| | Xiamen (BXSCC) Representative: Hosea Chew | 2023 & 2024 |
| Mayor’s Office: | Baltimore Mayor’s Office Representative: Nina Themelis * (Director, Mayor’s Office of Government Relations) | 2024 & 2025 |
| MIMA: | Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Representative: Masuma Islam Lonczak | 2023 & 2024 |
| BDC: | Baltimore Development Corporation Representative: William Cawthern * (Director of Baltimore Foreign Trade Zone #74) | 2024 & 2025 |
| BOPA: | Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts Representative: Name to come after 1/31 (will not be part of the 1/31 ballot) Person fills the remainder of Lauren Green’s term, which was 2023 & 2024) | 2024 |
Note: The positions of the non-voting (a.k.a. co-opted) observers on the board (currently Nancy Taylor) are not approved at the Annual Membership Meeting but at Board Meetings. This year, the 1st Board Meeting immediately follows the Annual Membership Meeting on January 31, 2024. BSC Officers of the Board are also elected at this Board Meeting. (See the ballot topics for the January 31 Board Meeting here.)
D. Sister City Committee Chairs
The following list is informational only. The chairs are elected by their committee members. The chairs are not elected in the BSC Annual Membership Meeting.
| Committee | Chair | Term (2 years) |
|---|---|---|
| Changwon (BCSCC) | SangBeom Choi | 2024 & 2025 |
| Gbarnga (BGSCC) | Luana Kiandoli | 2024 & 2025 |
| Kawasaki (BKSCC) | Jay Gordon | 2023 & 2024 |
| Luxor-Alexandria (BLASCC) | Iman Moussa | 2024 & 2025 |
| Odesa (BOSCC) | Karina Mandell | 2024 & 2025 |
| Rotterdam (BRSCC) | Rachel Sengers * | 2024 & 2025 |
| Xiamen (BXSCC) | Xin (Cindy) Wang * | 2024 ** |
* This person is now in their 4th term; they are Acting Chair until the bylaw amendment #E1 below is approved, which changes the term limit from 3 to 4 terms.
** Xin (Cindy) Wang was elected as Interim Chair through 12/31/2024 by BXSCC.
E. Amendments to BSC’s Bylaws
The BSC, Inc. Board is submitting the following five amendments to the BSC Bylaws, to the BSC membership for review and approval. [For reference, the current bylaws are here (PDF file).]
E1. Extension of term limits for officers
Introduction to the amendment: Currently the bylaws state that board directors, officers of the board, and sister city committee officers are limited to 3 consecutive terms. Each term is 2 years. Currently there are two committee chairs who reached their 3rd term at end of 2023 but have been re-elected as chairs by their committees. This amendment changes 3 terms to 4 terms, to accommodate situations where a suitable replacement has not yet been identified and elected for the position.
Text for the amendment: BE IT RESOLVED, that Articles 4.6 and 5.3 of the Bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is hereby amended by inserting the italicized and underlined text, as follows:
| ARTICLE 4. BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION 4.6. Term. Each Director shall hold office for a term of two years. The initial Directors shall be divided into two (2) approximately equal groups, of which one will serve for an initial term of one (1) year, and the other for an initial term of two (2) years. No person shall serve more than four (4) consecutive full terms on the Board. Persons serving an initial term of one (1) year may serve for four (4) additional two year terms. After serving the maximum time allowed, a person may again serve after being off the Board for one full term. ARTICLE 5. OFFICERS OF THE BOARD 5.3. Term. Officers shall serve a term of two (2) years, until their successors are elected. No officer shall serve more than four (4) consecutive terms in the same office. ARTICLE 6. COMMITTEES 6.1. Sister City Committees. c. Officers and Elections. (3) The term of office shall be for two years. Term Limits, Removal and Resignation will be in general accordance with the policies of the Corporation as stated in Article 5, sections 5.3 through 5.5, of these Bylaws. |
E2. Voting rights for officers of the board
Introduction to the amendment: The purpose of this amendment is to give BSC’s Officers of the Board the ability to vote at board meetings. At present, only board representatives from the sister city committees and the three constituencies defined in our bylaws (Mayor’s Office, BDC, BOPA) have voting rights at board meetings. However, these board representatives primarily represent the interests of their own committees/constituencies, while Officers of the Board represent the organization as a whole. The lack of voting rights for the officers also restricts our ability to recruit top level talent outside of BSC. Solution: We will add the officers to the Composition of the Board in Article 4; when they are added there, they will have voting rights just like the other directors listed in Article 4. (Note: The roles and positions of the Officers of the Board are defined in Article 5.)
Text for the amendment: BE IT RESOLVED, that Article 4.3 of the Bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is hereby amended by inserting the italicized and underlined text, as follows:
| ARTICLE 4. BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION 4.3. Composition. The Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Corporation, one Director representing each Sister City Committee, two Mayoral appointees, one of whom shall be the Sister Cities Liaison from the Office of the Mayor , one Director representing the Baltimore Development Corporation, one Director representing the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and such other Directors as the board shall resolve to invite as representatives of other constituencies, such as organizations whose goals and activities can further the mission of BSC, Inc. All Directors will have voting rights in Board decisions. A person with voting rights is entitled to only 1 vote, even if they have more than 1 position in BSC, Inc. |
E3. New type of BSC membership
Introduction to the amendment:
- Our bylaws do not yet have a defined role for individuals who would like to be involved with BSC and help out the organization without needing to be a member of a sister city committee. So, this amendment will create a new 3rd class of individual membership: Unaffiliated members. Our bylaws do not currently prevent people from volunteering for BSC without being a member of a sister city committee, but they do not have a recognized defined membership role in the organization and are not be able to vote in our annual meeting. We would like to give them a recognized role. And we expect this could help attract more volunteers to BSC.
- Our bylaws do not yet require that BSC’s Officers of the Board be a BSC member. We will add wording that requires that they be individual members of BSC to help ensure they are governed by all our bylaws, policies, and procedures. The officers can choose whether to be an Unaffiliated member (not a member of a committee), or be a Regular or Associate member of a committee.
Text for the amendment: BE IT RESOLVED, that Articles 3.1, 3.2, and 5.1 of the Bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is hereby amended by inserting the italicized and underlined text, as follows:
| ARTICLE 3. MEMBERS OF THE CORPORATION 3.1. Classes of Membership. There will be the following classes of membership: a. Regular. Regular membership will include individuals (including youth) who are interested in the mission of the Corporation and have paid current dues. Regular members designate one of the Sister City Committees as their committee of primary membership and commit to attending at least 50% of the regularly scheduled meetings of that Committee. They are voting members of their Sister City Committee of primary membership and of the Corporation. b. Associate. Associate membership shares the rights and responsibilities of regular membership, including the right to vote in membership meetings of the Corporation. Associate members do not commit to attend a minimum number of regularly scheduled meetings of their Sister City Committee of primary membership, and they do not have the right to vote in such meetings. c. Unaffiliated. Unaffiliated members include individuals (including youth) who are interested in the mission of the Corporation and have paid current dues but are not a member of a sister city committee. They have the right to vote in membership meetings of the Corporation. d. Corporate. Corporate membership is granted to non‐profit and for‐profit corporations, institutions and organizations that pay corporate annual dues. Corporate members may designate the Corporation or one of the Sister City Committees as their committee of primary membership. They do not have voting rights e. Honorary. Honorary membership may be extended pursuant to a majority vote of the Corporation’s Board of Directors. Honorary members do not have voting privileges. The Mayor and the President of the Council of the City are ex-officio honorary members. 3.2. Dues. The annual membership dues for regular, associate, unaffiliated, and corporate members will be determined by the Board. Individual membership dues shall be modest in view of the voluntary nature of member’s participation in the activities of the Corporation, and shall be credited to the member’s committee of primary membership if the member is affiliated with a committee, or to the Corporation’s general operating fund in the case of unaffiliated members. Corporate membership dues for for‐ profit and non‐profit corporations may be set at different levels; such dues shall be credited to the committee of primary membership designated by the corporate member or to the Corporation’s general operating fund if so designated by the corporate member or if no designation has been made. Membership dues and contributions to BSC, Inc. are tax deductible, to the extent allowed by law. 3.3. Participation. Members of BSC, Inc., are entitled to participate in any or all Sister City Committee meetings. ARTICLE 5. OFFICERS OF THE BOARD 5.1. Role and Number. The daily management of the Corporation shall be in the hands of the Officers. The officers shall consist of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer and such additional vice presidents or assistant secretaries or assistant treasurers as the Board may from time to time appoint. No person shall hold more than one office. Each officer must be a member of the Corporation (Regular, Associate, or Unaffiliated class). |
E4. Eligibility for committee officer positions
Introduction to the amendment: The bylaws currently state that a person must be a member of a sister city committee to be eligible for a committee officer position. But the bylaws do not state they must be a Regular-level member. We propose specifying that committee officers must be a Regular member. Reasons: 1) Regular members commit to attending at least 50% of the committee meetings while Associate members do not have that commitment. It is critical that committee officers attend all committee meetings. 2) Regular members have voting rights in committee meetings and Associate members do not.
Text for the amendment: BE IT RESOLVED, that Article 6.1.c.(1) of the Bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is hereby amended by inserting the italicized and underlined text, as follows:
| ARTICLE Art. 6.1.c.(1) (1) Each Sister City Committee shall elect a Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer from among its members. Committees may also elect a Vice-Chair and/or a Member at Large at their discretion. These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Sister City Committee. At the time of the election, one of the officers shall be designated the Committee’s nominee to the Board of Directors of the Corporation. Only Regular members are eligible for Sister City Committee officer positions. |
E5. Simple text correction
Introduction to the amendment: The bylaws contain an unintentional numbering error in Article 6.1.e, where a clause makes a reference to Article 7.1 but it actually should be referring to Article 8.1.b, and another clause makes a reference to to Article 7.3 but it actually should be referring to Article 8.3.
Text for the amendment: BE IT RESOLVED, that Article 6.1.e of the Bylaws of Baltimore Sister Cities, Inc. is hereby amended by inserting the italicized and underlined text, as follows:
| ARTICLE 6. COMMITTEES 6.1. Sister City Committees. e. Meetings. (1) Each Sister City Committee will annually set a schedule of regular meetings, as specified in Art. 8.1.b. (2) The quorum for a regular Sister City Committee meeting is specified in Art. 8.3 |
Note
The 1st Board Meeting of 2024 immediately follows the Annual Membership meeting.
This webpage was last updated on 2024-01-25 at 10:34am.
Final Annual Report & Plan PDFs were posted on 2024-02-17. No changes were made to the content after 2024-01-31 annual meeting, except the phrase “Preview File” was removed from the page footer.
