I was recently elected President of the Portland-Khabarovsk Sister City Association for a two year term beginning January 1, 2021. My international work began with PKSCA in December 1998 when the Board sent me to Khabarovsk to begin what became a 15-year series of environmental and good governance programs in the Russian Far East. ECO International grew out of those experiences as I and several other contributors continued our work in China and then Uganda.
As PKSCA President I will be held accountable to the Association’s Board and to its Members, just as I am held accountable to the ECO International Board of Directors and its contributors. But the role of PKSCA President has an added dimension in that it is in part a political appointment given the formal relationship between the cities of Portland and Khabarovsk as reflected in the PKSCA charter (granted by the Portland City Council).
I did not seek to lead PKSCA but I accepted my nomination to the presidency out of my respect for the Association and my commitment to its diplomatic mission. I have had a strong and productive relationship with the Khabarovsk City Administration over twenty years and I am dedicated to leveraging that relationship for the benefit of both cities.
My active role as PKSCA President will not be possible without the financial support of ECO International. PKSCA’s members are not a moneyed lot and have never been able to fund its diplomatic mission. On the other hand, ECO International’s participation in PKSCA projects has always been an important element of US government and private foundation funded programs that derive from, but remain fiscally separate from, the diplomatic mission. The relationship between ECO International and PKSCA is synergistic if managed appropriately. That’s my job now, with the oversight of both Boards. I look forward to the challenge.