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REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 2009-2014

d, India
Hyderaba

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Xian, Chin

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Gondar, E

Morazn,

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El Salvado

The World of

Montgomery
People have come to Montgomery County,
Maryland from every corner of the globe.
Montgomery Sister Cities was established
to connect Montgomery County to the world
by encouraging and fostering friendship,
partnership, and mutual cooperation through
educational, cultural, social, economic,
humanitarian, and charitable exchanges
between the people of Montgomery County and
people from various nations around the world.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from County Executive Ike Leggett..................................1
Montgomery Sister Cities Board of Directors.............................2

Welcome to Montgomery County,

Maryland, USA

Letter from the Board Chair Theresa Cameron.........................3

COUNTRY............................ United States (population: 320,061,700)

Morazn, El Salvador............................................................... 4-5

STATE.....................................................................................Maryland

Meet Evelyn Gonzalez-Mills.........................................................6

FOUNDED....................................................................................... 1776

Meet Solomon Ayele....................................................................7

POPULATION......................................................................... 1,016,677

Gondar, Ethiopia..................................................................... 8-9

Become a Global Citizen...........................................................11
Xian, China.......................................................................... 12-13
Meet Nan Qiao...........................................................................14
Meet Ram Konda.......................................................................15

AREA...........................................................................507 square miles

ELEVATION...............................................................................875 feet
PRIMARY LANGUAGES.............English, Spanish, Chinese, Amharic,
French, Tagalog, Korean, and Vietnamese

Hyderabad, India................................................................. 16-17

PRIMARY RELIGIONS................................ Christian, Jewish, Muslim,

Buddhist, and Hindu

Global Humanities Institute......................................................18

CURRENCY........................................................................... U.S. dollar

Seventh Annual World of Montgomery Festival......................19

Sister Cities International.........................................................20
Rockville Sister City Corporation..............................................20
Crafting a Gift for Our Sister Cities............................................21

TIME ZONE...................................................... Eastern Standard Time

ECONOMY......... Life sciences, information technology, healthcare,
hospitality, real estate, and agriculture

WWW.MONTGOMERYSISTERCITIES.ORG

January 2015
Dear Friends:
Montgomery County is a world class community, a talent magnet for extraordinary
people from across the country and around the world. One-third of our one million
people were born in other countries. Having residents who understand every culture
and speak nearly every language is Montgomery Countys edge in the 21st century
global marketplace.
One of the first things I did upon taking office as County Executive was to ask Bill
Hudnut, former Mayor of Indianapolis and the Town of Chevy Chase, and Bruce
Adams of our Office of Community Partnerships to recruit a board and establish a
community nonprofit to lead the Sister City initiative. I am very proud to report that
we now have a Sister City in four of the top countries of origin of our immigrant
population El Salvador, China, India, and Ethiopia.
Our Sister Cities program helps strengthen our cultural competence and expand our
economic ties across the globe.
My thanks to Bill Hudnut and Theresa Cameron for their leadership of our
Montgomery Sister Cities board, to all of the board members, and to the staff
members at the Office of Community Partnerships, Department of Economic
Development, and Montgomery College.
My special thanks go to those who have taken us to their native countries, made us
feel at home, and taught us what it means to be a global citizen.
We are working every day to become one of the nations most welcoming communities. Our Sister Cities initiative is helping us reach this ambitious goal.

Ike Leggett
County Executive

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MONTGOMERY SISTER CITIES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Theresa Cameron, Chair
William Nance, Treasurer
Dianne Smith, Secretary
Bruce Adams
Mumin Barre
Lorna Forde
Evelyn Gonzalez-Mills
Neftali Granados
William Kaschak
Ram Konda
Nan Qiao
Thomas Raffa
Carol Rhees
Solomon Teklai

Our Founding Chair

Bill Hudnut

County Executive Ike Leggett had a

vision for Montgomery County to
establish Sister Cities around the world.
He needed a leader with great stature,
tact, and experience to undertake this
challenging task. So in 2008, he turned
to Bill Hudnut a world class urban
policy guru who has served as minister,
Member of Congress, and Mayor of
Indianapolis and the Town of Chevy
Chase to establish Montgomery Sister
Cities as a community nonprofit and pull together a board to get this new venture
moving forward.
Bill recruited a diverse and talented board, incorporated Montgomery Sister Cities,
and hosted a public forum in June of 2009 that led to the selection of Morazn,
El Salvador as Montgomery Countys first Sister City in 2011. Gondar, Ethiopia
followed in 2012. Xian, China became the third Sister City on Bills watch.
In December of 2014, the City of Indianapolis, where Bill served as Mayor for four
terms (1976-92), dedicated a major city park in the downtown as Hudnut Commons
complete with a larger than life statue. We in Montgomery County always think of
Bill as larger than life and express our great appreciation to him for his five years of
service building a strong foundation for Montgomery Sister Cities.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MONTGOMERY SISTER CITIES,

PLEASE CONTACT
Montgomery Sister Cities board members
Dianne Smith, Bruce Adams and Lorna Forde
visiting Humayuns Tomb in Delhi, India

Bruce Adams, Office of Community Partnerships

21 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330, Rockville, MD 20850
bruce.adams@montgomerycountymd.gov
Design and production by Text Design, Inc.

Letter from the Board Chair

Theresa Cameron

It is an honor to serve as chair of Montgomery Sister Cities. I believe strongly

in County Executive Leggetts vision that our Sister City program can better
connect our community to the world.
None of this could have been accomplished without a dedicated board of
directors and staff. I especially would like to recognize our founding board
Chair, Bill Hudnut, who County Executive Leggett tapped as the man who
could get this Sister City group off the ground. In 2008, County Executive
Leggett asked former Indianapolis and Town of Chevy Chase Mayor Hudnut to establish Montgomery
Sister Cities as a community nonprofit and pull together a board to get this new venture moving forward.
Thanks to Bill we have accomplished much in these past years.
As you will see in this report, we have made some great strides in creating sustainable and meaningful
Sister City relationships. It is my hope that we will use Montgomery Sister Cities to continue to make
Montgomery County a welcoming place for all.

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Theresa Cameron
Chair of Board, Montgomery Sister Cities

Montgomery Sister Cities board and staff

members at February 22, 2014 retreat at the
Silver Spring Civic Building
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Morazn

El Salvador

When Montgomery Sister Cities held a

public forum in the summer of 2009 to
solicit ideas for prospective Sister Cities,
by far the most popular choice was El
Salvador, the number one country of
origin of Montgomerys immigrant
population. The Department of
Morazn (the equivalent of a US state)
was selected as it lies in the heart of the
region where the civil war was fought
in the 1980s. Many people fleeing
the violence came to the Washington
area. Montgomery Sister Cities board
member Evelyn Gonzalez led an exploratory delegation to Morazn in August

of 2010. On July 26, 2011, County

Executive Leggett traveled to the town
of San Francisco Gotera and signed the
countys first Sister City agreement.

Leaders of COTSA, an umbrella group

of Salvadoran hometown associations,
partnered with Gonzalez. Neftali
Benetiz took us to Joateca to participate
in the inauguration of the town square,
and Montgomery Sister Cities Board
member Neftali Granados and his
brother Jorge Granados hosted the
delegation in Guatajiagua. The most
moving experience of the trip was a

visit to the site of the massacre that

took place during the civil war in El
Mozote on December 11, 1981.
One of the top priorities of the
Morazn committee has been to
provide educational opportunities for
students beyond high school. Three
Montgomery College professors from
the Global Humanities Institute
travelled to Morazn in 2013 to
offer technical assistance in forming
a community college. The committee
purchased ten computers for the startup technical school. In partnership
with the Association for Educational

One of the top

priorities...has been
to provide educational
opportunities for
students beyond
high school.
Development for El Salvador, the
committee has sent medical equipment
and educational supplies to Morazn
worth more than $20,000.
Morazn Governor Miguel Ventura, County Executive Ike Leggett, former United States Representative Connie
Morella, and County Councilmember George Leventhal light candles at the El Mozote memorial on July 26, 2011
4

Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland

organizes regular trips to build and
rehab homes in Morazns El Barrial

Bienvenidos
Guatemala

Former Governor Ventura visited the committee in October

of 2014 to provide an update on projects and the current
socio-political-economic landscape. The new Governor met
with committee representatives during their annual visit.
In addition to an annual Fiesta fundraiser, the Morazn
committee showcases the Salvadoran culture and cuisine at
events including COTSAs annual Salvadoran Festival and the
World of Montgomery Festival.
For more information about how you can get involved,
please contact Nestor Alvarenga at
nestor.alvarenga@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Honduras

Mexico

CENTRAL
AMERICA
EL SALVADOR

FAST FACTS

community. MoverMoms, a nonprofit that promotes service

by busy families, organizes trips for county residents each
summer. Hungry for Music raised money for instruments
for children.

EL SALVADOR
San
Salvador

Morazn

San Salvador

COUNTRY..................El Salvador (population 6,290,420)

DEPARTMENT...................................................... Morazn
CREATED..................................................................... 1875
POPULATION.........................................................199,519
AREA........................................................360 square miles
ELEVATION.......................................... 1,000 to 2,700 feet
PRIMARY LANGUAGE........................................... Spanish
PRIMARY RELIGION............................................Christian
CURRENCY........................................................ U.S. dollar
TIME ZONE..........................Central Standard Time (CST)
ECONOMY...................................... Agriculture and crafts

County Executive Ike Leggett and Governor Miguel Ventura after signing Sister
City agreement in San Francisco Gotera, Morazn, El Salvador on July 26, 2011

Meet Evelyn Gonzalez-Mills

Evelyn Gonzalez-Mills represents the
heart and soul of Montgomery Sister
Cities. As a Founding Board Member,
she was a passionate advocate for
Morazn, El Salvador, her place of birth,
to become Montgomerys first Sister
City. Fleeing the violence of El Salvadors
civil war, Evelyn came to Maryland
in 1981. When a delegation visited
Morazn in August of 2010, she mapped
out every minute and secured host
families for the visitors. When County
Executive Leggett led a delegation in
2011, Evelyn went to Morazn weeks
ahead to make sure everything would be
flawless. She was a co-signer of the July
26, 2011 agreement. As Morazn was
Montgomerys first Sister City, the work
Evelyn did as a volunteer established
the template for all future Sister City
missions. She returns each summer to
Morazn and continues as an active
member of the Montgomery Sister Cities
board and the Morazn committee.
Evelyn formed Latino Parent
Committees at her childrens schools
and earned her academic degrees
including an MSW from the University
of Maryland-Baltimore while raising her
family. As a Counselor at Montgomery
College and advisor to the Latino
Student Union at the Takoma Park
Campus, she helped the students play

Evelyn Gonzalez greets the first Sister City delegation at the

San Salvador airport in August of 2010

a leadership role in the passage of the

Maryland Dream Act. In 2013, Evelyn
received the Colleges Outstanding
Faculty Service Award. As Founder
and President of the Association for

Educational Development in El Salvador

(ADEES), she works to improve and
enrich the educational experience of
disadvantaged children and youth in
El Salvador.

The sister city relationship between my adopted home and my place

of birth has given me an opportunity to collaborate in the cultural
exchange and human development of both communities.
Evelyn Gonzalez-Mills

Meet Solomon Ayele

Solomon Ayele was born and grew up
in Gondar, Ethiopia. He graduated
with an accounting degree from Addis
Ababa University. Solomon came to
Montgomery County in 1999. A CPA,
he is an Audit Manager in the Maryland
Judiciary Internal Audit Department.

Italian occupation before and during

World War II. Only when we arrived,
did Solomon tell us that this palace had
also served as a torture chamber during
the communist rule (1974-91). As a
teenager, Solomon had been tortured
there and imprisoned.

In January of 2012, Solomon led a

delegation from Montgomery County
to discuss a possible Sister City
agreement with the Mayor of Gondar.
He returned just nine months later with
County Executive Ike Leggett and a
larger delegation. Solomon was one of
the co-signers of the September 27, 2012
Sister City agreement.

In addition to his leadership of the

Gondar Sister City initiative and
service as a member of the board of
Montgomery Sister Cities, Solomon
has served as chair of the County
Executives African Affairs Advisory
Group, the group that serves as a liaison
between African diaspora communities
and the County government. He is
a board member of the Ethiopian
Community Center in Maryland. The
Silver Spring based Center coordinates
basic health, education, and other
community services.

During our first Sister City trip to

Gondar, several members of the
delegation asked Solomon to take
them to Ras Gimb, a royal palace once
used as a retreat by Haile Selassie and
a residence for the generals during the

Solomon Ayele attended high school with Mulu Ali

Alemu who is now the head of the Gondar Health
Center. Photo during January 2012 visit to the Center

I feel so lucky that my adopted community of Montgomery County

and my birth city of Gondar are Sister Cities. I hope many county
residents will visit Gondar, the Camelot of Africa, in the near future.
Solomon Ayele

Gondar

Ethiopia

Diaspora members from nine African

countries competed to be selected as
Montgomerys Sister City in an open
process organized by the County
Executives African Affairs Advisory
Committee that engaged hundreds of
county residents. After nine months
of review, the advisory group selected
Gondar, the ancient capital of Ethiopia.
Effective lobbying by the Montgomery
College Ethiopian Students Association

(MCESA), led by Yasin Yimam and

supported by Professor Solomon Teklai
and Dean Clemmie Solomon and
advisor Genet Aklilu, resulted in the
choice of Gondar.
Solomon Ayele led a small delegation
to Gondar in January of 2012 to
meet with the Mayor and explore the
possibility of becoming Montgomerys
second Sister City. Nine months later, a
larger delegation accompanied County

Executive Leggett who signed a Sister

City agreement with the City of Gondar
on September 27, 2012.
Gondar is known as the Camelot of
Africa because of its extraordinary 17th
and 18th century castles and churches.
For centuries, the Ethiopian emperors
favored temporary camps over fixed
capitals, but Emperor Fasilides founded
Gondar in 1635 and it remained the
capital of Ethiopia for more than two
centuries. Each emperor built a castle in
the royal enclosure, and the remains of
these castles stand today at the edge of
Gondars center city. The architecture of
todays downtown is heavily influenced
by the Italian occupation of the 1930s
and early 40s. The University of Gondar

Gondar is known as
the Camelot of Africa.
houses Ethiopias main medical faculty.
While Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity
is the dominant religion, Gondar
once was home to a large number of
Ethiopian Jews.

Members of the Montgomery delegation during a September 2012 visit to Fasil

Ghebbi, site of the castles of Ethiopias Emperors
8

With health care falling far short of

demand, the main focus of the Gondar
committee has been to collect and ship
essential medical equipment to the
Gondar Health Center. Montgomery

Sudan

The Gondar committee continues to showcase the Ethiopian

culture at high visibility county events including the World
of Montgomery Festival, Ethiopian Festival, and Pan African
Cultural Festival.
For more information about how you can get involved,
please contact Daniel Koroma at
daniel.koroma@montgomerycountymd.gov.

AFRICA

ETHIOPIA
Addis Ababa

Somalia

ETHIOPIA

Kenya

FAST FACTS

College has developed a partnership with the University

of Gondar. The committee is collaborating with Gondar
Development in North America group to raise money for
scholarships for students from surrounding rural areas
who attend Gondar University. The committee donated 20
computers to the Hibret Elementary School during the 2012
visit. The committee supports MCESAs Books for Africa
project to ship books to Gondar University and surrounding
high schools. Hungry for Music provides support for the
Miracle Art & Modeling School.

Yemen
Gondar

COUNTRY..................... Ethiopia (population 87,952,991)

REGION..................................................................Amhara
FOUNDED.................................................................... 1635
POPULATION.........................................................308,257
AREA.................................................... 15.55 square miles
ELEVATION........................................................ 6,998 feet
PRIMARY LANGUAGE...........................................Amharic
PRIMARY RELIGIONS........................Ethiopian Orthodox
Christianity and Muslim
CURRENCY....................................................................Birr
TIME ZONE............................. Eastern African Time (EAT)
ECONOMY........................... Trade center for agricultural
products, textiles, jewelry, copperware, and leatherwork

Deputy Mayor Getinet Amare and County Executive Ike Leggett after signing
Sister City agreement in City of Gondar, Ethiopia on September 27, 2012
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Lalibela, Ethiopia

Amritsar, India
Gondar, Ethiopia

Hyderabad, India
10

Morazn, El Salvador

Xian, China

G O ME
RY

Become a Global Citizen:

NT

For an annual contribution of $20 or more, you

will receive an official Montgomery Sister Cities pin
and quarterly email newsletters on our programs
and progress. As Montgomery Sister Cities is a
501(c)(3) community nonprofit, your contribution
is tax deductible.

E R CITI

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Support Montgomery Sister Cities

Name

Preferred phone

Please copy this form and mail it with your check

made payable to Montgomery Sister Cities to:

Email address (please print)

Montgomery Sister Cities

c/o Bruce Adams
21 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330
Rockville, MD 20850

Mailing address

City/State/Zip

Join a Global Village Trip

to Morazn, El Salvador
One of the great achievements of Montgomery Sister Cities
is our partnership with Habitat for Humanity Metro
Maryland. Habitat has committed to build 24 new homes and
rehabilitate twelve existing homes in El Barrial, a community
largely populated by returning refugees from the civil war.
To date, twelve homes have been completed and eight more
homes are scheduled for completion by the end of 2015. The
project began in 2013 and is expected to be completed in
2016. Habitat staff from Montgomery County take groups of
volunteers to help build the homes several times each year.
If you are interested in joining a Habitat build group, please
contact John Paukstis at john.paukstis@habitatmm.org.

Morazn Governor Miguel Ventura and former U.S. Representative

Connie Morella visited Habitat volunteers in July of 2011

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Xian

China

The Northwestern Chinese American

Association of Greater Washington
(NCAAGW) has been the key partner in
establishing Montgomery Countys third
Sister City. In 2012, NCAAGWs Nan
Qiao and Sabrina Hsu accompanied
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer
Tom Street, County Director of Special
Projects Lily Qi, and Shannon Yang on a
trip to China that explored the potential
of a Sister City with Xian. One year
later, County Executive Leggett led a
large delegation to Xian where he signed
a Letter of Intent on September 20, 2013.
The formal Sister City agreement with
Xian was signed in 2014.

Best known as the home of the

Terracotta Warriors (a World Heritage
Site with thousands of sculpted soldiers
buried with Chinas first Emperor to
protect him in his afterlife), Xian is a
major educational and high technology
hub in the northwest of China. Now the
capital of Shaanxi Province, Emperors
ruled China from Xian for one
thousand years through several of the
countrys most important dynasties.
As the eastern terminus of the Silk
Road, the people of Xian traded goods
and ideas with travelers from diverse
cultures across the globe.

with connections to Chinas northwestern provinces, is the largest hometown

based Chinese American Association
in the Washington area. In 2014,
NCAAGW members traveled to Xian
for discussions aimed at coordinating
cultural, educational, and economic
exchanges and met with Xian representatives at the US-China Sister Cities
Conference in Washington. On August
12, 2014, under the leadership of
President Hui Li, NCAAGW hosted an
event at the Rockville Memorial Library
with County Executive Leggett to cel-

NCAAGW, serving Chinese Americans

Go to Shanghai
and you will find a
100-year-old China; go
to Beijing and you will
find a 1,000-year-old
China; go to Xian and
then you will find a
3,000-year-old China.

Northwestern Chinese American Association of Greater Washington hosted a

Xian Sister City Celebration at Rockville Memorial Library on August 12, 2014
12

ebrate the formal signing of the Sister

City agreement. NCAAGW facilitated
ten day trips to Xian by teenagers from
Montgomery County in July of 2013
and 2014. Xian No. 1 Middle School is
hoping to send students and teachers to

Mongolia
Beijing

visit Churchill High School in the summer of 2015.

The Northwestern Chinese American Association showcases the Chinese culture at events around the region with
NCAAGWs Power Drum Team performing in the opening
ceremony of the 2014 World of Montgomery Festival.
For more information about how you can get involved, please
contact Diane Vu at diane.vu@montgomerycountymd.gov.

CHINA

Xian

CHINA

FAST FACTS

Xian University professors visited in December of 2014

as part of the universitys partnership with Montgomery
Colleges Global Humanities Institute. The Institute collaborated with the Arts Departments of Montgomery College
to organize an art exhibit with Xi'an University and the
University of El Salvador that was on display this fall at the
Cultural Arts Center of Montgomery Colleges Takoma Park/
Silver Spring Campus.

COUNTRY.................... China (population 1,393,783,836)

PROVINCE..............................................Shaanxi Province
FOUNDED...........................................................c. 1100 BC
POPULATION.........................................6,501,189 (urban)
8,467,837 (sub-provincial city)
AREA.......................................... 319 square miles (urban)
3,854 square miles (sub-provincial city)
ELEVATION........................................................ 1,329 feet
PRIMARY LANGUAGE............................................Chinese
PRIMARY RELIGIONS..................... Buddhism, Christian,
Muslim, and Taoism
CURRENCY..........................................................Renminbi
TIME ZONE............................ China Standard Time (CST)
ECONOMY............................. Equipment manufacturing,
tourism, technology, and software outsourcing

Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Roger Berliner with County Executive

Ike Leggett, Xian Mayor Dong Jun, and Sister Cities International President
Mary Kane after signing Letter of Intent in Xian on September 20, 2013
13

Meet Nan Qiao

Nan Qiao grew up in Xian City in Chinas Shaanxi Province. He is a senior software
engineer having received an Associate of Science degree in Finance from Tianjin
Normal University in China in 2000, a Bachelor of Science from Southeastern
University (SEU) in Washington, DC in 2002, and a Master of Science in Computer
Science from SEU in 2005.
In his leadership roles with the Northwestern Chinese American Association of
Greater Washington (NCAAGW), Nan has spearheaded the Xian-Montgomery
Sister City initiative. In 2012, he was a key part of a Montgomery delegation to Xian
that included Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Tom Street, County Director
of Special Projects Lily Qi, and NCAAGW President Sabrina Hsu. He represented
NCAAGW on County Executive Leggetts 2013 Joint Mission Trip to China for the
signing of a Letter of Intent to become a Sister City with Xian. On that trip, he
accompanied County Executive Leggett to the City of Benxi of Liaoning Province,
Pudong New Area of Shanghai, and Guan County of Hebei Province to meet with
highest level of government officials.
In December 2014, Nan was recognized with an Excellent Performance Reward from
the NCAAGW board. In addition to serving as the chairman of NCAAGWs Sister
City committee, Nan has served NCAAGW as Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer. Through NCAAGW, Nan and his colleagues serve as the link between
Chinese Americans and immigrants who are rooted or lived in Chinas northwestern
provinces and state and local governments here in Montgomery County.

Nan Qiao (left) with current Northwestern Chinese

American Association of Greater Washington
(NCAAGW) president Sabrina Hsu and former
NCAAGW president Hui Li

I am extremely proud that Montgomery County is connected to Xian City through the Sister
Cities relationship by encouraging and advancing friendship, partnership, and mutual
cooperation through education, cultural, economic, social, and charitable exchanges. It is a
privilege to be a key witness and part of the effort in building such a constructive relationship between the community where I was raised and the community where I live now.
Nan Qiao

14

Meet Ram Konda

Ram Konda was born and grew up in
Hyderabad, India. He graduated from
Bangalore University and came to the
United States in 1998 to pursue work in
information technology. He moved to
Montgomery County in 1999 attracted
by our high technology industry.
With a passion for giving back to his
native India, Ram was a founder of
the Capitol Area Telugu Society, a
community nonprofit serving Indians
in the Washington region. He has also
served on the board and as secretary of
the National Telugu Association and as
an executive member of the National
Council of Asian Indian Associations.
Ram organized members of the Indian
diaspora to support programs that resulted in 1,365 eye surgeries and glasses
for 4,264 needy residents of Telangana,
India. Ram serves on his homeowners
association in Germantown and is a
Democratic Party precinct official in
Montgomery County.
Ram played a leading role in organizing
Governor Martin OMalleys trip to
India in 2011. He has been the key contact between Montgomery Sister Cities
and the Mayor of Hyderabad, visiting
Hyderabad in December of 2013 to
propose the Sister City agreement. One
year later, Ram returned to his birth
city with County Executive Ike Leggett.

Ram Konda signing the Sister City agreement with his native Hyderabad on November 14, 2014 shown with
Councilmember Ayesha Rubina and County Executive Ike Leggett

He was one of the co-signers of the

November 14, 2014 Sister City agreement. At the invitation of the Embassy
of India, Ram served on the National
Advisory Committee of the historic
reception held for Prime Minister Modi
at Madison Square Garden in New York
City in September.

Establishing a bond
between the place where I
was born and the place where
I live through Sister Cities has
been a great honor. I
look forward to strengthening
the connection.
Ram Konda

15

Hyderabad

India

Sanjay Rai, Montgomery Colleges Vice

President for Academic Affairs, took
the lead in identifying Montgomery
Countys fourth Sister City. Working
closely with Maryland Delegate Aruna
Miller and Ram Konda, chair of the
Capital Area Telugu Society, Rai led
a several month long process that
included a survey of Indian community
leaders. When the consensus pick was
Hyderabad, Konda volunteered to
travel there in December of 2013 to
discuss the possibility with city leaders.

Eleven months later, County Executive

Ike Leggett led a joint Sister City and
economic development mission trip
to India where he signed a Sister City
agreement with the City of Hyderabad
on November 14, 2014.
Hyderabad, Indias sixth largest city,
is the core of a metropolitan region of
nearly eight million people. This South
Indian city serves as the joint capital of
two of Indias 29 states Telangana and
Andhra Pradesh. In terms of religion,
it is one of Indias most diverse cities.

Nearly 70% of the population is Hindu.

Hyderabads 27% Muslim population is
double the countrys average.
Founded in 1591, the city has a rich
history dominated in the seventeenth
century by the Qutb Shahi dynasty
and before and during British rule by
the Nizams, one of the worlds richest
families. We visited the historic sites of
Charminar, the tombs of Qutb Shahi,
Golconda Fort, and Mecca Masjid, one
of Indias largest mosques. Historically

Historically known
as the City of Pearls,
todays Hyderabad is
now often referred to
as Cyberabad.
known as the City of Pearls, todays
Hyderabad is now often referred to
as Cyberabad. It has also become
an important center of Indias film
industry. The cityscape is dominated
by Hussain Sagar, one of Asias largest
artificial lakes.

Montgomery College Vice President Sanjay Rai, County Executive Ike Leggett, First Lady Catherine Leggett,
Office of Community Partnerships Asian liaison Diane Vu, and Capital Area Telugu Society chair Ram Konda
arrive in Hyderabad November 12, 2014
16

Meetings were held with businesses,

and Montgomery College representatives visited the University of

Pakistan

China
Nepal
New Delhi

Hyderabad. Mirin Phool, president of the Kaur Foundation,

connected us to local Rotary Clubs. Shashi Shrivastav took us
to two Ekal schools in the rural villages of Telangana.

For more information about how you can get involved, please
contact Diane Vu at diane.vu@montgomerycountymd.gov.

INDIA

Hyderabad

FAST FACTS

The citys dynamic young Mayor, Mohammed Majid Hussain,

expressed interest in visiting Montgomery County. His main
concerns are improving infrastructure, transportation, and
water resource management. We are hoping for a robust series
of cultural and educational exchanges with Hyderabad as well
as economic development deals and sharing governmental
best practices.

INDIA

COUNTRY......................India (population 1,210,193,422)

STATE................................................................ Telangana
FOUNDED.................................................................... 1591
POPULATION................................ 6,809,970 (metropolis)
7,749,334 (metro)
AREA..................................250 square miles (metropolis)
2,700 square miles (metro)
ELEVATION.........................................................1,657 feet
PRIMARY LANGUAGES.......................... Telugu and Urdu
PRIMARY RELIGIONS.......................... Hindu and Muslim
CURRENCY............................................................... Rupee
TIME ZONE...............................India Standard Time (IST)
ECONOMY..................................Information technology,
pharmaceuticals, tourism, film, crafts, and apparel

After November 14, 2014 signing of Sister Cities agreement in Hyderabad (from
left) Councilmember Ayesha Rubina, Montgomery Sister Cities Board Member
Ram Konda, County Councilmember Nancy Floreen, Maryland Delegate Aruna
Miller, Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain, County Executive Ike Leggett, and N.V.S.
Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited
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Global Humanities Institute

Montgomery Colleges Global
Humanities Institute was created in
2012 with the support of a challenge
grant from the National Endowment
for the Humanities (NEH). The NEH
Bridging Cultures initiative aims to
engage the power of the humanities
to promote understanding and mutual
respect for people with diverse histories,
cultures, and perspectives within the
United States and abroad. The grant
enables Montgomery College to focus
on how it teaches the humanities in
ways that reflect the complexities of our
global society. The College has created

an interdisciplinary course on Global

Humanities and is working to provide
learning opportunities for all within
and beyond the classroom while
facilitating education abroad for faculty.
Gaining expertise beyond the classroom
will better prepare students and faculty
for the global marketplace of the
21st century.
Conveniently for our Sister Cities
program, the Institute is focusing on
creating partnerships in China, India,
and El Salvador. College representatives
have been a valuable presence on all four
of the countys Sister City missions.

The Global Humanities Institute and

Arts Departments of Montgomery
College organized a collaborative art
exhibit with Xian University and the
University of El Salvador that was
on display from October 23 through
November 14, 2014 at the Cultural
Arts Center of Montgomery Colleges
Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.
The exhibit, entitled Identity:
Contemporary Interpretations of
History, Place, and Culture, featured
artists from Xian University and the
University of El Salvador. Former
Morazn Governor Miguel Ventura
joined Vilma Herrera, Counselor for
Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of El
Salvador at the October 23 opening
reception. Xian University professors
visited Montgomery County in
December of 2014.
For additional information about
Montgomery Colleges Global
Humanities Institute, please log onto
http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/
globalhumanities or contact program
director Rita Kranidis at
rita.kranidis@montgomerycollege.edu.

At the October 23 opening reception for the exhibit (from left): Karla Silvestre, Montgomery Colleges Director of
Community Engagement; Sanjay Rai, Montgomery Colleges Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; Miguel
Ventura, former Governor of Morazn, El Salvador; Vilma Herrera, Counselor for Cultural Affairs at the Embassy
of El Salvador; and Rita Kranidis, Program Director of Montgomery Colleges Global Humanities Institute
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RLD

NTGO RY

Festival 2015
Wheaton

The annual World of Montgomery Festival celebrates

Montgomery Countys spectacular diversity with food,
entertainment, and cultural enrichment from around the
world. The KID Museum, in collaboration with our Sister
City partners, provides an authentic introduction to China,
El Salvador, Ethiopia, and India. If you want your child to
experience what it means to be a 21st century global citizen,
this is the place to be each October. The festival is funded by
the generous sponsors of the Fund for Montgomery.
For additional information about Montgomery Countys
annual World of Montgomery Festival, please log onto
www.worldofmontgomery.com.
To become a sponsor, performer, vendor, or participant at the
Seventh Annual World of Montgomery Festival in October of
2015, please contact Bruce Adams at
bruce.adams@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Performers at the Annual World of Montgomery Festival

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Sister Cities International

Sister Cities International was created
at President Eisenhowers 1956 White
House conference on citizen diplomacy.
Eisenhower envisioned an organization
promoting peace and prosperity by
creating bonds between people from
different cities around the world.
Sister Cities International serves as the
national membership organization for
more than 500 Sister Cities, counties,
and states across the United States with
relationships in 140 countries. This
network unites volunteers focusing on

arts and culture, youth and education,

economic development, and humanitarian assistance. Montgomery resident
and former Maryland Secretary of State
Mary Kane serves as president of Sister
Cities International. For more information, log onto www.sister-cities.org.

Rockville Sister City Corporation

2017 will be the
sixtieth anniversary of the Sister
City relationship
between Rockville
and Pinneberg,
Germany. The initiators were former
mayors Henry Glissmann and Dickran
Hovsepian. On October 13, 1957,
the Rockville Mayor and Council
approved a resolution establishing a
Sister City relationship with Pinneberg.
The Pinneberg Mayor and Council
reciprocated on November 8, 1957. In

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1958, the City of Pinneberg sent 210 rose

bushes to the City of Rockville, and they
were planted in the Rockville Friendship
Garden at the Rockville Civic Center.
Rockville established Pinneberg
Avenue in Twinbrook, and Pinneberg
named a street Rockvillestrasse.
Rockville Sister City Corporation
(RSCC), formed as a community
nonprofit in 1986, organizes exchanges
for people interested in business, arts,
culture, health, science, education,
sports, music, and tourism. Through
the years, visits from Pinneberg have

included public safety officials and

student, music, and sports groups.
In September 2009, the City of
Rockville established a Friendship City
Relationship with Jiaxing, Zhejiang
Province, China. There have been
several exchanges including a visit
to Rockville by six representatives of
Jiaxing in December of 2014.
For more information, please visit
www.rockvillesistercities.org or contact
President Brigitta Mullican at
rockvillesistercities@gmail.com.

Crafting a Gift for Our Sister Cities:

Artist Joseph Craig English Produces
World of Montgomery at Strathmore
One thing Montgomery Sister Cities learned in China was
that some of these cities are a lot better at gift giving than we
are. Our elegant embossed silver plate paled in comparison
to the magnificent boxed model of a horse drawn chariot
complete with Terracotta warriors given to the County
Executive by the Mayor of Xian.
So we called on Washington Grove silkscreen artist Joseph
Craig English to produce a suitable gift for our Sister Cities
by portraying the extraordinary talent of the countys diverse
population. County Executive Leggett suggested The Music
Center at Strathmore as a backdrop. Craig came up with
the idea of representing our diversity through the faces of
musicians in an orchestra, a terrific idea as an orchestra
demonstrates the great success achieved when people work in
concert with each other, a perfect metaphor for Ike Leggetts
brand of community leadership.

County Executive Ike Leggett presenting the original Joseph Craig English

World of Montgomery at Strathmore silkscreen print to Mayor Mohammed

Eliot Pfanstiehl, the guru of all things Strathmore, hooked
Majid Hussain in Hyderabad, India on November 14, 2014
Craig up with Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras. Craig
was given permission to take a zillion photos of the young
musicians and then headed for his studio. The final piece was a product of 32
hand cut and printed stencils (one for each color). To see Craigs remarkable
process, go to his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/
Joseph-Craig-English-Studio/564179423608867.

For a beautiful giclee reproduction of the World of Montgomery at Strathmore

print, please contact Bruce Adams at bruce.adams@montgomerycountymd.gov.
This is a perfect gift for the Montgomery County activist on your list. Proceeds will
support Montgomery Sister Cities. We have a limited edition of 100 framed 18x24
giclee reproductions available for $450 each; 11x14 giclee reproductions are $120
framed or $75 with just a mat.

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Office of Community Partnerships

21 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330
Rockville, MD 20850