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.
Rionegro Ambassador
Asia Williams
Asia is a teacher in the Raleigh area and serves RSC as the Ambassador for Rionegro. She enjoys collaborating with people around the world by traveling. She also enjoys giving people a warm oasis in their home as an Interior Designer. She has one-year old daughter and they are birthday twins.
Board Member
Bonnie Battin Bishop
Bonnie, recently relocated from Scottsdale, Arizona, to be closer to her family in Raleigh. She loves foreign cultures having lived in Scotland, Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany and Nairobi, Kenya. She was previously the President and Founder of Friends of Africa International.
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.
Director of Community Relations
Charles Helms
Charles is a North Carolina native, UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and current customer solutions/problem solver at Pendo. He helps RSC by being an advocate for global communities and membership to support our global programs.
Director of Affiliations
Clare Makumi
A healthcare professional and currently a Global Medical Affairs Scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, Clare is originally from Nairobi. She helps to guide our new agreements through formation across the world.
Clare@RaleighSisterCities.org
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.
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.
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.
Board Member
Jessica Holt
Jessica is the Public Relations and International Tourism Director for Visit Raleigh. She looks forward to continuing to promote Raleigh as an international gateway and an innovative destination for businesses and leisure travelers from around the globe.
Gibraltar Ambassador
Julia Carpenter
A Founding member and Past State President of the Daughters of the British Empire in North Carolina, Julia has previously served on the NC State Art Museum and UNC TV Board of Trustees, and has created and participated in numerous cultural programs and initiatives in our state.
Hull Ambasssador
Katey Ahmann
Katey worked in the professional museum field for over 20 years and recently retired from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences as the Head of Featured Experiences. She manages our partnership with Hull, England.
Board Member
Kevin Lord
Kevin retired in 2017 after 40+ years in the banking industry. He now stays busy by being on the Boards of three non-profits and with his activities as a volunteer photographer for various non-profits. He manages accounts and finances for RSC.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Board Member
Melissa Kolodziej
A proven and successful governmental affairs and community relations specialist, Melissa helps guide RSC with domestic administration and diplomacy policy. She has the most wonderful two dogs in the world, Boone and Graham.
Board Member
Michele Young
Michele is the Director of Diversity & Inclusion at the Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®. She has only been in Raleigh for the past two years, but it has been one of her favorite places to live. During her free time, she likes to try new cuisines and spend quality time with her family.
Director of Development
Meetal Shah
Meetal is a mathematics education researcher. She is a proud nerd and loves collaborating with Sister Cities volunteers. Her role is to support the community-facing board members in achieving the RSC's mission through fundraising and other external investment.
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.
Board Member
Virginia Reed
Virginia is a Raleigh native and graduate of Appalachian State University. When she isn't consulting on political campaigns, she can be found reading a book, walking her dog, or browsing the stalls at a farmer's market.
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.