Council Purpose & Process

The International Council provides advice and direction to NLC’s International Programs.  The Council encourages and supports educating municipal leaders about the impacts and opportunities of globalization.  It also connects the knowledge and experiences of cities outside the U.S. with the hometown priorities of American cities and towns.

As a permanent standing committee, the chair, vice chairs, and members of the International Council are appointed by the NLC President.  Leaders and members of the Council are selected because of their interest and experience in areas of international commerce and trade, citizen diplomacy, sister cities, cultural and educational exchanges, or international development and technical assistance.  Membership is open to elected and appointed local officials as well as to those from non-governmental organizations and the private sector.  To learn more about NLC’s International Programs, follow this link.

Members of the NLC International Council for 2009

                            Vice Chair                                            Chair                                           Vice Chair
                                                                             
                            Paul Natale                                   Margaret Finlay                              Joe Davis
                                Mayor                                       Mayor Pro Tem                               Alderman
                     Commerce City, CO                                 Duarte, CA                            Milwaukee, WI

Sherman Banks, Past President, Sister Cities Int’l, Little Rock, AR
Tami Ryall, Asst. Town Manager, Gilbert, AZ
Michael Johnson, Councilmember, Phoenix, AZ
Chris Shalby, Exec. Dir., Int'l Inst. of Municipal Clerks, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Bob Gaiser, Councilmember, Broomfield, CO
John Patrick Julien, Councilmember, North Miami Beach, FL
Donald Rosen, Commissioner, Sunrise, FL
Manuel Marano, Councilmember, Sweetwater, FL
Ted Ellis, Mayor, Bluffton, IN
Ken Bernard, Mayor, Lansing, KS
Sue Grosdidier, Councilmember, Mission, KS
Sylvia Lovely, Exec. Dir, Kentucky League of Cities, Lexington, KY
Henrietta Davis, Councilmember, Cambridge, MA
Jeffrey Jenks, Commissioner, Huntington Woods, MI
Jim Miller, Exec. Dir., League of Minnesota Cities, St. Paul, MN
Bill Skaggs, Councilmember, Kansas City, MO
Patricia York, Mayor, St. Charles, MO
Mylo Einarson, City Administrator, Grafton, ND
J. George Wang, President, US-China Exchange Assoc., Edison, NJ
Ron Schmitt, Councilmember, Sparks, NV
Carolee Conklin, Councilmember, Rochester, NY
Daneil Pocek, Mayor, Bedford, OH
Deborah A. Hill, Councilmember, Warrensville Heights, OH
Gary McCaleb, Vice President, Abilene Christian Univ., Abilene, TX
Melody H. Cooper, Councilmember, Corpus Christi, TX
M. J. Khan, Councilmember, Houston, TX
Dennis Tenney, Councilmember, Sandy, UT
Kimble Reynolds, Mayor, Martinsville, VA
David A. Bowers, Mayor, Roanoke, VA
Nick Licata, Council President, Seattle, WA
Diana Wilhite, Mayor, Spokane Valley, WA
Jeanne Harris, Councilmember, Vancouver, WA