BOARD
OF
DIRECTORS
Guadalajara Ambassador
Alma Reynaga
Splitting time living in both her hometown of Guadalajara and Raleigh, Alma has over twenty-five years between IBM and Lenovo with tech experience across different areas such as engineering, planning, production, customer fulfillment specialist for large equipment used in big data centers.
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Compíegne Ambassador
Cara Nina Gentile
Cara went to Compiégne as an exchange student many moons ago, an experience that fostered a love of travel and cross-cultural connection. These days she travels with her husband Tim, daughter Giavanna, and son Laszlo.
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President Emeritus + City Council Appointee
Cody Charland
Cody is a Raleigh native with time spent in Los Angeles and Seattle. He is hopeful that Sister Cities continues to transform Raleigh into an international partner and an inclusive destination for many across the world.
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Board Member + City Council Appointee
David Kilbride
David is Assistant Principal Second Violin of the NC Symphony and is on the faculty of Raleigh Charter High School. He is a Raleigh City Council appointee and received a certificate in non-profit management from Duke University in 2019.
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Nairobi Ambassador
Isaac Kuria
Isaac is the President and Founder of Myles of Great Hopes and leads the organization's work in several states and different countries. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, cycling, and organizing international events.
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At-Large Board Member
Jackie Lipkin
Jackie is a North Carolina native who has lived in Raleigh since 2001. Mother of two grown daughters and a spoiled Bernedoodle, she is excited to join the Raleigh Sister Cities Board in 2025. Jackie has had an affinity for world cultures since living her first year in Europe as an infant. She spent a summer semester abroad at Oxford during college and is a lifelong learner of the arts and culture.
Syr (Lebanon) Ambassador
Khodr Zaarour, PhD
Khodr holds graduate degrees in public and international relations, economics, political science, liberal studies and history with a focus on International Relations, Comparative Politics and American foreign policy. A resident of Raleigh, he is currently teaching at Hampton University.
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Board Member
Linda Wharton
Linda is a retired after several decades working in software R & D at SAS, in Cary, North Carolina. She enjoys cooking, gardening, hosting visitors, museums, reading, theater, traveling, and spending some downtime with her family in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
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Director of Communications
Matt Lail
Matt works in marketing and communications during the day, and is also a husband, father, and occasional podcaster by night (Check out Finest Work Songs!).
He loves the vibrancy of Raleigh, as well as the tremendous momentum it has as a city.
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President and Gibraltar Ambassador
Mary Clare Freeman
Mary Clare is a native to Raleigh with extensive global diplomacy experience to complement her MA in International Affairs from UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2019 she began the process for Raleigh to become Gibraltar's first-ever Sister City and was elected RSC President in October 2022.
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Chief Information Officer
Pat Hall
Pat is a retired non-profit administrator and helps out with administrative items and membership for RSC. She enjoys all the arts that the City of Raleigh has to offer and likes to get out and explore the Raleigh greenways and enjoy hosting group bike rides for RSC.
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Lead Ambassador
Ximena Uribe
Ximena has dedicated her career to designing and producing events while connecting her passion to her work. Business trips have taken her to many countries, where she has been able to learn about their cultures and ways of life.