Press Release - Second Lady Karen Pence to Serve as the Honorary Vice Chairwoman for Sister Cities International

WASHINGTON, DC – Second Lady Karen Pence will serve as the Honorary Vice Chairwoman for Sister Cities International. In this role, she will be a champion for the everyday citizen diplomat and the Sister Cities International network global movement in advancing the cause of World Peace.

"Sister Cities International serves an important purpose of renewing and strengthening global relationships," said Mrs. Pence. "I am honored the organization asked me to serve as the Honorary Vice Chairwoman and I look forward to working alongside Sister Cities International to raise the visibility of this important resource to cities throughout our country and world."

Sister Cities International recently honored Mrs. Pence in March with the Sister Cities International Diplomatic Leadership Award for her numerous contributions to American diplomacy. Mrs. Pence partnered with Sister Cities International while serving as the First Lady of Indiana to build and strengthen Indiana's international relationships through cultural ties by initiating several cultural and educational exchanges. For example, her first exchange took place in 2013 between third grade students in Lafayette, Indiana and its Japanese sister-city, Ota City. Mrs. Pence asked third graders in Lafayette to draw self-portraits based on the theme, "Me Seeing My Favorite Things." Mrs. Pence delivered the artworks to the third graders at Ota Elementary School in Japan where the students there drew self-portraits with the same theme. After returning to the United States, Mrs. Pence delivered the Japanese artwork to the students in Lafayette to complete the exchange.

"We are delighted to have Mrs. Pence begin her new role as the Honorary Vice Chairwoman of Sister Cities International," said Mary Kane, President and CEO of Sister Cities International. "Her experience as the First Lady of Indiana and now as the Second Lady of the United States demonstrates her commitment to sister cities programs and citizen diplomacy efforts throughout the United States."

Mrs. Pence's new role is effective today.

About Sister Cities International

Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International serves as a hub for institutional knowledge and best practices for citizen diplomacy. The group has united tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in over 500 member communities with over 2,000 partnerships in 145 countries on six continents. You can learn more about Sister Cities International at www.sistercities.org.