Governing Board
Affairs of Sister Cities Lawrence are conducted by an elected governing board. Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Contact the chair in advance to join the meeting.
The 2024 Governing Board is shown at their March meeting at Watkins Museum. Left to right: B. Schumm, J. Hilliard, C. Shipley (on-screen), S. Hamilton, S. Lechtenberg-Kasten , and K. Albrecht. Seated, left to right, are J. Miller, K. Scholz, and B. Keel. Not shown are Mayor B. Littlejohn and K. Hodge.
The Honorary Chair is appointed annually by the Mayor. All other Governing Board members are elected to serve 3-year terms. The terms expire at the end of the year, shown in parenthesis.
Honorary Chair (2024): Mayor Bart Littlejohn - blittlejohn@lawrenceks.org
Chair (2024): Bill Keel - wkeel@ku.edu
Vice-Chair/ Treasurer (2024): Kelly Scholz - kellyjean1107@gmail.com
Secretary (2026): Courtney Shipley - shipleyco@gmail.com
Membership Chair (2026): Sheri Hamilton - sheri.a.hamilton@gmail.com
Friends of Eutin (2025): Ken Albrecht - kenalbrecht@lpco.net
Friends of Hiratsuka (2026): James Hilliard - jamesiv@juno.com
Friends of Iniades (2025): Bob Schumm - schummfoods@gmail.com
Friends of Tocopilla (2026): Sara Lechtenberg-Kasten - slechtenbergkasten@anl.gov
Member at large (2025): Jan Miller - janmiller@stephensre.com
Member at large (2025): Kathleen Hodge - khodge@ftiinc.com
2024 Committees
Audit: Kelly Scholz, chair
Chaperone: Kathleen Hodge, chair; K. Albrecht, J. Hilliard, B. Schumm
Publicity/Public Relations: Jan Miller, chair
Financial Aid: Bill Keel, chair
Financial Aid Fundraiser: Diana Carlin Pierron, chair - dianabcarlin@gmail.com
Website: Phyllis Farrar, chair - pfarrar21@gmail.com
Please volunteer for committees, “Friends-of-…” groups, and positions on the Governing Board. New committees form at the beginning of each calendar year. Feel free to contact any committee chair to volunteer
Policies and Forms
2025 Hiratsuka student application packet
Chaperone Committee Chair Job Description
Chaperone Selection Process
Financial Aid Policy
Financial Aid Application
Membership definitions
Membership/Donation form
Reimbursement form for committee & governing board expenses
Minutes
Monthly Governing Board meetings normally take place on 2nd Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at Watkins Community Museum. Contact the Chair if you wish to attend.
2024
2023
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- July
- September
- October
- November
- December
- Annual Membership Meeting
2022
- [January][18]
- [February][19]
- [March][20]
- [April][21]
- [May][22]
- [July][23]
- [August][24]
- September
- [November][26]
- December [21]: /s/4-13-2022-sclgbminutes.pdf [20]: /s/3-9-2022-sclgbminutes.pdf [19]: /s/2-9-2022-sclgbminutes.pdf [18]: /s/1-2022-sclgbminutes.pdf 27: /s/12-7-2022-sclghminutes.pdf [26]: /s/11-9-22-sclgbminutes.pdf [24]: /s/8-10-22-sclgbminutes.pdf [22]: /s/5-11-2022sclgbminutes.pdf [23]: /s/7-13-2022sclgbminutes.pdf
2021
- Budget (approved at 2020 Annual Meeting)
- January
- February
- [March][18]
- [April][19]
- [May][20]
- [June][21]
- [July ][22]
- [August][23]
- [September][24]
- October
- [November][26]
- December
- Annual Membership Meeting [26]: /s/11-10-21_sclboardminutes.pdf 25: /s/10-2021_sclboardminutes.pdf [24]: /s/9-2021sclboardminutes.pdf [23]: /s/8-2021_sclboardminutes.pdf [22]: /s/7-14-2021_sclboardminutes.pdf [21]: /s/6-9-2021_sclboardminutes.pdf [20]: /s/5-12-2021sclboardminutes.pdf [19]: /s/4-14-2021_sclboardminutes.pdf [18]: /s/3-10-2021sclboardminutes.pdf
2020
2019
2018
Bylaws and Agreements
Sister Cities Lawrence - Bylaws - December, 2023
Iniades Agreement (in English)
City Ordinance, 1987, est. Sister Cities Advisory Board
City Resolution, 1990, est. Hiratsuka Sister City
History of Lawrence Sister Cities Advisory Board & Sister Cities Lawrence
In September 1986 Mayor Sandy Praeger and the Lawrence City Commission appointed Marnie Argersinger and Carol Shankel to organize a sister cities steering committee. The Commission assigned two tasks: to study and recommend an organizational structure that could implement one or more sister city relationships; and, to find a sister city in Japan.
Less than a year later, June 16, 1987 the Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance to create a Sister Cities Advisory Board. Carol Shankel was elected as the first chair of the advisory board. Two proposals soon emerged involving cities in Germany and Japan.
Agreements with Lawrence’s first two sister cities were negotiated within a relatively short time; with Eutin in 1989 and Hiratsuka in 1990. The University of Kansas German Department had conducted a summer language institute in Eutin since 1966, through which strong cooperative relationships had developed. Likewise, academic colleagues at the University of Kansas and at Kanagawa University provided links to the city of Hiratsuka, Japan. Eventually, a third sister city agreement developed with Iniades/Katohi, Greece based on the relationship between University of Kansas Department of Theater and Dance and the Ancient Theater of Iniades. The agreement with the municipality of Katohi where Iniades is located, was finalized in 2009.
In 2018 the city of Lawrence’s Sister City Advisory Board drew up by-laws to become an independent non-profit with the name of Sister Cities Lawrence. The business of the organization is conducted by a governing board. The mayor appoints a commissioner to sit on the board each year.
Visit each timeline to learn how interactions evolve between Lawrence and our sister cities.
