Sister Cities Commission

SISTER CITIES COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 AL LARSON PRAIRIE CENTER FOR THE ARTS / CONFERENCE ROOM A NOTES MEMBERS PRESENT: Caren Chisesi Vandana Jhingan Tom LaMantia Kazuko Mino Annie Miskewitch Suzanne Poeschel Bob Schmidt Ally Zinck MEMBERS ABSENT: Kiran Nuthulapaty Neil Khot Jose Skrobot STAFF PRESENT: Tiana Weiler, Director of Cultural Services Katie Langston, Assistant Event Coordinator CALL TO ORDER: Suzanne Poeschel called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A motion was made by Suzanne Poeschel to approve the Sister Cities Meeting Minutes from January 13, 2026. Tom LaMantia seconded. MOTION CARRIED. NEW BUSINESS: A. Germany Subcommittee Report - SDAG visit to Schaumburg, IL 2025 No report. Ms. Poeschel reported she heard Dr. Steinbeck that April 2026 will no longer work as a potential date to visit, as it conflicts with elections held in Germany. He proposed we reschedule for some time in the fall. He would still like us to consider a visit to Germany for the Christmas markets during November 20 to December 24 of 2026. B. Japan Subcommittee Report No report. Ms. Poeschel was happy to share that Annie Miskewitch and Jose Skrobot will be joining the Japan Subcommittee. Ms. Mino reported that Mr. Niwa proposed for us to visit in April or May and would like to know more details as far as number of people, days staying, sights of interest, etc. Ms. Weiler mentioned that we should be mindful of timing as Schaumburg elections will be held during that time. At the next Japan Subcommittee meeting details will be discussed. C. South Asia Subcommittee Report No report. Ms. Weiler reported that Trustee Patel was unsuccessful in meeting with the Vadodara city leadership due to schedule conflicts. Ms. Jhingan mentioned that she will  be visiting that region from March 2nd to March 4th and would be happy to meet with Vadodara leadership. Ms. Weiler will reach out to Trustee Patel to connect Ms. Jhingan with the Vadodara leadership to schedule a meeting during her travels. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: CONTINUING ITEMS: 1. Sister City Facebook Page While Mr. Skrobot was unable to attend, Ms. Poeschel reported that he is continuing to look for new ideas for posts and asked the members to continue to share and like Facebook posts. Ms. Weiler mentioned that Ms. Poeschel will be presenting at the Northwest Women’s Club event hosted at the Schaumburg Library. Ms. Weiler plans to get photos of the event to share on the Sister Cities Facebook page. 2. Proposal for Use of Sister City Funds Mr. Skrobot submitted an application with District 211 for the Scholarship. Mr. Skrobot and Ms. Langston have published the scholarship information and application form on the Sister Cities webpage. Mr. Schmidt suggested that we research local school clubs and organizations to send scholarship information to Mr. Skrobot and Ms. Langston will be working on finding school contacts and creating a flyer to promote the scholarship. 3. Brochure Ms. Zinck brought in material pulled from the webpage to add onto the brochure. Ms. Zinck asked the committee to review material and report back to her with any comments or suggestions by March 1st. DEFERRALS: No deferrals. COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE: No Comments. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made at 6:00 pm by Tom LaMantia to adjourn. Bob Schmidt seconded. MOTION CARRIED. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 5:30 pm