2018 Annual Conference Agenda
Agenda is subject to change
- Tuesday, July 31
5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Volunteer Orientation Meeting, Conference Room 1
- Wednesday, August 1
8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. State Representative Meeting, Conference Room 6
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. HR Subcommittee Meeting, Conference Room 1
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Annenberg/German Task Force Meeting, Conference Room 1
10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Registration
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Mayor’s Leadership Council Luncheon, Borealis
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Fund Development Committee Meeting, Conference Room 1
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Strategy & Programs Committee Meeting, Conference Room 6
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Membership Committee and Lapsed Member Task Force Meeting, Conference Room 6
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Finance and Investment Committee Meeting, Conference Room 1
5 p.m. – 6 p.m. Executive Committee Meeting, Conference Room 1
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Honorary Board Dinner (Invite-Only), Borealis
- Thursday, August 2
7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Registration
7 a.m. – 8 a.m. Continental Breakfast – Chat and Chew with Board Candidates
NextGen and Entrepreneurship Track
All sessions take place in Conference Room 1
8 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Welcome and Workshop Plenary by Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, President & CEO, Colorado State University – Global Campus
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Social Entrepreneurs: A Real Difference
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. The Modern Day Gold Rush – Cannabis as an Opportunity for NextGens and Entrepreneurs
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. The Success Factor: Women Entrepreneurs
Silk Road Track
All sessions take place in Conference Room 2
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Welcome by Former Ambassador John O’Keefe
8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Pioneering Sister Cities Programs along the Silk Road
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Chinese Belt and Road Initiative
11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. The Power of Hydropolitics for Peace and Water to Flow
11:45 am – 1 p.m. Keynote Luncheon – Derran Moss, Humanitarian Affairs Officer, United Nations
Derran studied Arts/Law at the University of Queensland, while also working as a teacher in primary schools in Brisbane. He graduated as Law School Valedictorian in 1998, and proceeded to work for two years in the District Court, before moving to Canberra to work in international law and counter terrorism with the Attorney-General’s Department.
In 2002, Derran was awarded an inaugural Rotary World Peace Fellowship to study in the USA for two years at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). From 2008-2011 Derran was the Chief of Staff for two successive Attorneys-General before moving to East Timor to work with the United Nations as a Legal Advisor, and then as Director of the South Asia International Legal Assistance Branch at the Attorney-General’s Department. Derran spent 2013 and the start of 2014 working in Afghanistan as a Political Advisor in the north of the country, before moving to New York to work on Afghan issues with the Department of Political Affairs with the UN. He currently works in humanitarian affairs with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, focused in particular on the Middle East.
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Chair Emeritus Council Luncheon, Regency Club 2nd Floor (by invitation)
NextGen and Entrepreneurship Track
All sessions take place in Conference Room 1
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Ping Pong to Kung Fu: The Power of Sports Diplomacy
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Developing the Talent of the Next Generation
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Walls, Bridges, and Rising Tides: Youth Voices and the American Dream
Silk Road Track
All sessions take place in Conference Room 2
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Sister City Opportunities for Communities on the Silk Road
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. The Silk Road and Central Asia: Developments in Uzbekistan
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Program Resources Found in the Open World Leadership Center
1:30 pm – 4 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting, Conference Room 6
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. NextGen and Young Professionals Happy Hour, Borealis Restaurant
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Global Leaders Circle and VIP Reception at Anschutz Medical Center, 13001 E. 17th Place, Building 500 (by invitation, transportation provided)
- Friday, August 3
6:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. “Nature Meditation and Mindfulness” led by Ajay Rastoji, West Terrace
7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Registration
7 a.m. – 8 a.m. Continental Breakfast, Chat and Chew with Board Candidates
7 a.m. – 8 a.m. First Time Attendees Orientation/Cities Seeking Cities Networking, Conference Room 6
9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Opening Flag Ceremony at Aurora City Hall, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway (transportation provided)
11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Keynote Luncheon featuring Keynote Speaker John Thon Majok, Senior Program Analyst, Global Sustainability and Resilience Program, The Wilson Center, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Mountain Cities Workshop, Aurora Ballroom 3
1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Arts and Music Diplomacy Workshop, Aurora Ballroom 4
1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Smarter, More Resilient Cities Workshop, Conference Room 2
2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Smarter Cities: India Leading the Way Workshop, Aurora Ballroom 3
2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Human Face of Cities Leading the Way Workshop, Aurora Ballroom 4
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Candidates Forum, Conference Room 1
3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Annual Business Meeting & Elections, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. City Welcome Reception at Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street, The Hangar Room (transportation provided)
- Saturday, August 4
6:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. “Nature Meditation and Mindfulness: led by Ajay Rastoji, West Terrace
7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Registration
7 a.m. – 8 a.m. New Board Orientation, Conference Room 1 (invitation only)
7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Continental Breakfast, Aurora Foyer
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Virtual Exchanges in the Middle East: Steven’s Initiative Panel, Conference Room 6
7:30 a.m. – 8 a.m. How Sister Cities Can Change the World, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
8 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Panel Discussion with Diplomats: The Value of Sister City Relationships, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
8:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Sister Cities Global Awareness and Impact Panels, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
- 8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Africa Panel
- 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Middle East Panel
- 9:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. East Asia Panel
- 10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break and Networking
- 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. U.S. – Mexico Mayors’ Summit: Mission Impact Report
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. The Value of U.S. Engagement Overseas, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Sister Cities Country Representative Roundtables, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. Keynote Luncheon – Dr. Neil Parsan, Former Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States * OAS, Aurora Ballroom 1 & 2
His Excellency Dr. Neil Parsan assumed the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America, non-resident Ambassador to the United Mexican States, and Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the Organization of American States (OAS) in February, 2011. He also held the Cabinet position of Executive Secretary for Integral Development at the Organization of American States (OAS) as confirmed by 34 countries through the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) in September, 2015.
Dr. Parsan earned his Undergraduate Medical Degree at the University of the West Indies, Faculty of Medical Sciences, where he graduated with Distinction. After spending eight (8) years as a Lecturer/Tutor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (UWI), he pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA), where he graduated as Top Student with Distinction. He also holds a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) Degree, a CACM from Harvard University School of Public Health, and a World Trade Professional Degree from ITM Worldwide in Sweden. Dr. Parsan was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Education, Culture, and Humanitarian work from the Americana University, registered with Cambridge University (UK) and the Congress of Mexico.
12:30 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. Sister Cities “How-To” Roundtables, Aurora Ballroom 3 & 4
- Diplomatic Missions to DC
- Grant Writing
- Hospitality 101
- How to Jump-Start Stalled Programs
- The Value of Meeting U.S. Embassies Abroad
- The Value of In-Kind Donations to Your Organization
1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Are you Covered? Sister Cities Insurance and Risk Management, Conference Room 2
1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Killer Presentations, Conference Room 3
1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Knock Their Socks of Sports, Conference Room 8
2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Development in Action, Conference Room 2
2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Leveraging Your Community, Conference Room 3
2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. The Nuts and Bolts of a City’s Economic Development – Why It Matters to You, Conference Room 8
3:20 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Photo Opportunity with SCI President & CEO, Photobooth
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Youth Leadership Summit Final Simulation & Closing Remarks, Aurora Ballroom 3 & 4
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Global Leaders Circle and VIP Cocktail Reception, West Terrace (by invitation)
6 p.m. – 7 p.m. Conference Cocktail Reception, Aurora Foyer
7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Annual Awards Dinner and Gala, Aurora Ballroom 1,2,3, & 4
- Sunday, August 5
8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Chair Emeritus Breakfast (By Invitation), Regency Club, 2nd Floor
9:15 a.m. Board Group Photo, Conference Room 6
9:30 a.m. – 12 pm Board of Directors Meeting, Conference Room 6