About Us

A Letter from the Association President

Thank you for visiting the Vallejo Sister City Association website.

The Vallejo Sister City Association has proudly connected with Sister Cities International since 1971! We’re a passionate group of volunteers, backed by our mayor and city officials through the Vallejo Sister City Commission. Together, we’ve fostered lasting relationships with seven Sister Cities and six Friendship Cities.

Join us on our mission to promote world peace through citizen diplomacy, humanitarian efforts, economic development, and enriching educational, cultural, and governmental exchanges.

Norma Placido
President, Vallejo Sister City Association
Commissioner, Vallejo Sister City Commission

Our 2024 Executive Board

Elissa Shanks-Stewart Commission Chair, Board Member
Favorite Sister City: Baguio, Philippines Hometown: Vallejo, CA Current: Vallejo, CA Sister Cities is important as an international extension of the city of Vallejo. It allows us to build lasting ties with other cultures and places, while highlighting our city as the most diverse city in the nation. It’s important to promote peace and tolerance particularly in this racially divided era. Sister Cities allows us to form lifelong relationships with people from all over the world and impact each others lives and communities for the better. It helps us to understand and celebrate the amazing diversity that Vallejo is known for. My passion is inspiring our youth to reach their full potential, education, traveling to different places, learning about different cultures, and building community. I love to see people motivating others, learning, growing, building relationships, and being the change they want to see in the world. Working with Vallejo sister cities has allowed me to learn a lot about different cultures and experience traveling in a way that I never have before. It has helped me to gain insight into building international ties for the city of Vallejo. It allows us to spread peace through learning and understanding people and cultures that are different than our own. It has also allowed me the opportunity to travel to places that I never thought I would and broaden my horizons about people and places. My family, friends, and students love to follow my travels and I share all the amazing experiences I’ve has along the way.
Victoria Grace-Barksdale
Vice President
Rochelle Frias-Del Rosario
Secretary
Helen Casaclang
Treasurer
Luchi Marte
Finance Secretary

Our 2024 Board Members

Pelton Stewart
Board Member

Favorite Sister City: Jincheon, South Korea Hometown: South Korea Current: Vallejo California Being involved with the Vallejo Sister City Association for the last 20 years has made me realize what true volunteerism is. My involvement and serving two terms as the president, has taught me to look beyond our skin color and to appreciate all cultures. I absolutely love how we celebrate and appreciate different cultures through our various exchanges and programs. In a World where we often are surrounded by hate and division, we overlook the gift of humankind, I love being in an organization who prides in educating the community about the various cultures to promote peace. Our humanitarian travels this summer to Mexico arose my compassion to help those in need. They say a simple act of showing compassion can make a world of difference but seeing how happy a child can be with just a simple gesture truly made me thank God for all the blessings in my life. I hope to make a difference in our community as well by continuing my efforts to educate and spread the various cultures Vallejo Sister City Association has adopted and will adopt as we move forward.
Yolanda Kim
Board Member
Favorite Sister City: Jincheon, South Korea – I initiated Jincheon Sister City Relationship but all of our sister cities are important to me! Hometown: Tae Gu, South Korea Current: Benicia, California Vallejo Sister City is important for many reasons. It is a way to learn about different cultures as continue our goodwill and leadership efforts are the globe. We help bring the community together.My passion is to grow and expand the Vallejo Sister City mission into other territories. The impact of sister city is felt throughout my entire family, not just me and my wife. It’s an incredible feeling to see the positive outcomes amongst my daughters, son and his wife. From community activities to youth diplomacy trips abroad. During a trip to Ensenada, Mexico my wife and I decided to sponsor a few kids for continual education. And, it warmed my heart to hear my daughter sponsored a kid as well. It’s moments like these that add value to our continual efforts around the world.
William Kim
Board Member
Dinah Villanueva-Ryan
Board Member
Favorite Sister City: Too Hard To Choose They Are All Great! Hometown: Vallejo, CA Current: Vallejo, CA Vallejo Sister City has been an important part of my development, since childhood. I have witnessed the power of being around people of many different backgrounds. As international leaders come together to share knowledge and information. All of which have been essential to uplifting me in the community, as I become a better organizer and educator. I want to continue the family tradition of International Goodwill and Leadership, shared with me by my Father and Mother. My family is heavily rooted in the legacy of the Vallejo Sister City Movement and it is a honor to continue to carry the torch of goodwill around the globe.
Lonnie Brumfield, III
Board Member
Favorite Sister City: Can’t Bare To Choose Between Them Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri Current: Benicia, California Vallejo Sister City is important because of the goodwill and comradery amongst people as they meet with people from sister cities around world. I have a passion for the development of goodness. My work with Vallejo Sister City has provided the opportunity to come together with individuals from various background. We all share a common interest of creating good outcomes in communities around the world. Our goals is to expand as we foster goodwill to help build a better world, one city at a time.
Mike Brown
Board Member
Ravi Shankar
Board Member
Emma del Rosario
Board Member
Open
Board Member

Vallejo Sister City Commissioners

The sister city commission is a seven (7) member committee, whom have been nominated by any council member or the mayor and appointed by the city council. The purpose of the commission is to plan and recommend to the city council a sister city program. Additionally the purpose of the commission is to stimulate and sustain participation in and community support for an approved sister city program.

Elissa Shanks-Stewart – Chair
Paul Lamb – Vice-Chair
Paul Ligda – Commissioner
Yajaira Rubio Machado – Commissioner
Norma Placido – Commissioner
Pelton Stewart – Commissioner
Emmanuel Andres – Commissioner

Past VSCA Presidents

1971-72Florence Douglas
1973Lyn N. Toch
1974-75William Doig
1975Hilda Buchanan
1976Ray L’Amoreaux
1977-78Jewyl Longan
1979-80Florence Bell
1981-82Marvin Fruth
1983-84David Lindquist
1985-86Rich Harrington
1987-88Barbara Kondylis
1989-90Mohen Sultan
1991Diji Christian
1992-93David Lindquist
1994Dom Datu
1995Teena Ferris-Pelkey
1996-99Brenda Brumfeld-Ross
2000-05Dinah Villanueva-Ryan
2006-09Kenneth Zadwick
2010-11Paul Ligda
2012-13Pelton Stewart
2014-17Yolanda Kim
2018-19Elissa Shanks-Stewart
2020-23William Kim
2024 (Current)Norma Placido

Click to view our previous Board of Directors