Sister Cities Association of Sarasota is managed by Officers and Directors of the Board who are elected at the annual general meeting for a one-year term. The Board comprises the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Presidents, City Directors, Vice City Directors, and Youth Ambassador.
Vice Presidents serve in the following areas: Arts & Culture, Business & Economic Development, Cities and Candidate Cities, Communications, Membership, Programs and Planning, Sports, and Youth and Education. The Youth Ambassador is an appointed position and is filled by a Sarasota STAR Leadership High School Student.
City Directors work to facilitate relationships with our Sister Cities and come under the umbrella responsibility of the Vice President for Cities & Candidate Cities. Vice City Directors may be delegated to represent the City Director on a case-by-case basis, as determined by the City Director.
Appointed Positions
The Director of Events comes under the umbrella responsibility of the Vice President for Membership.
The Director of Public Relations and the Editor of the Bridges Newsletter comes under the umbrella responsibility of the Vice President for Communications.
Committees under the umbrella of the Vice President for Youth and Education include Primary & Secondary Education, Higher Education, and Youth Development.
The Protocol Chair serves as an advisor to the President, the executive board and the city directors.
Vice City Directors are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the City Director.
2020 – 2021 Board of Directors
President –Toni Duval
Secretary – Open
Treasurer – Gloria Grenier
Arts & Culture – Gloria Grenier
Business & Economic Development – Craig Hullinger
Cities and Candidate Cities – Open
Membership – Mary Ellen McMahon
PR and Communications – Jana Stanley
Fundraising – Open
Programs and Planning – Dr. Ray Young
Sports – Open
Youth and Education – Dawn Graber
Youth Ambassador – Anahi Abassy
SCAS City Directors 2020 – 2021
Dunfermline, Scotland
Pauline Mitchell (CD)
Karen Malesky (ACD)
Merida, Mexico
Michael Fehily (CD)
Perpignan, France
Marie des Neiges Grossas (CD)
Rapperswill-Jona, Switzerland
Nelly Camardo (CD)
Charlotte Hull (ACD)
Tel Mond, Israel
Jonathan Katz (CD)
Alice Cotman (ACD)
Kim Sheintal (ACD)
Vladimir, Russia
Miriam Kramer (CD)
Xiamen, China
Douglas Sparks (CD)
Larry Bennison (ACD)
Duane Finger (ACD)
Busseto, Italy
Phillip Gordon (CD)
Kenney DeCamp (ACD)
Mirco Chiodi (ACD)
Past SCAS Board Presidents
Dallas Dort 1963–1967
Donald Spivey 1968–1975
Wells Purmort 1976–1987
Julio Claret 1989–1991
Asim Mohammed 1992–1994
Hope Byrnes 1995–2000
Linda Rosenbluth 2001–2005
William Wallace 2006–2007
Carla Rayman 2008–April 2011
John T. (Tom) Halbert 2011–2013
Beth Ruyle-Hullinger 2013–2016
Marianna Janz-Wecke 2016-October 2018
Beth Ruyle-Hullinger October 2018 – May 2019
Honorary Membership Criteria
In accordance with the contract between SCAS and the City of Sarasota, the Mayor and members of the City Commission are designated as Honorary Members and may serve as ex-officio.
Honorary Members
Our Honorary SCAS Members include our current Mayor and the City Commissioners.
Honorary Membership was also conferred on the 11 Former Mayors of the City of Sarasota honored at the Mayoral Luncheon in March 2019.
City of Sarasota Commissioners Office
Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch
Vice Mayor Shelli Freeland Eddie
Commissioner Liz Alpert
Commissioner Willie Charles Shaw
Commissioner Hagen Brody
Former Mayors of Sarasota and Honorary Members
Fredd Atkins
Elmer Berkel
Mollie Cardamone
Richard Clapp
Shelli Freeland Eddie
Kelly Kirschner
Kerry Kirschner
Lou Ann Palmer
Rita Roehr
Mary Ann Servian
Willie Shaw Sr.
To read about the history of Sarasota Sister Cities: