Marty is Managing Director of the Americas for Desert Control, stopping and reversing desertification and soil degradation.
Previously, he spent 11+ years with EXOS where he was its first VP of Sales and later VP of Strategic Business. He joined EXOS when it was about 30 employees and it grew to near 5000 staff at the time of his departure.
His business experience includes the telecom, wholesale distribution and pharmaceutical industries. Marty graduated Furman University (South Carolina) in addition to earning a MS and a MBA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Marty’s international business experience includes 30+ countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia, Russia, Germany, UK, Colombia, Brazil, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Israel. As a services exporter with Marty’s leadership, EXOS was recognized by the City of Phoenix as an inaugural winner of “Service Exporter of the Year” in 2015 and the “Export Excellence” Award from Arizona District Export Council the same year. In 2016, they were awarded the President’s (POTUS) “E” Award for Exporting Excellence. Fast Company magazine recognized EXOS in its “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies” lists in 3 different years of Marty’s tenure.
Marty, born in Eastern Tennessee, has been married to Susan Speliopoulos, a Phoenix AZ native, since 2008. They have 3 daughters; Savannah, Alexandra and Makenna.
Francesca Miller is Vice President, Business Development for Multistudio and a dedicated citizen of Arizona. She has called Arizona home twice. The first time was from 2000 to 2006 and after residing in New York for ten years, Francesca returned to Arizona in 2016, eager to give back to the community.
From 2000 to 2006, Francesca was a member of several boards and commissions including the City of Phoenix Youth and Education Commission, Phoenix Advisory Board for the Steele Children’s Research Center and Phoenix Body Positive (Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS). She traveled in 2004 as a member of the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission on the inaugural trip to Ramat Gan, Israel.
New York provided Francesca with the opportunity to sit on the Board of Overseers for the Katonah Museum of Art and for five years, she was the driving force behind the museum’s annual fundraising gala. Francesca was also a member of the host committee for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research Race 4 A Cure from 2014 to 2016.
While residing in New York, Francesca was Director of Operations for a global hedge fund, Chief of Staff for an investment professional and established a full-service marketing and business development firm.
Upon moving back to Arizona in 2016, Francesca rejoined the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission and currently participates on committees including: Mayor’s International Committee, New Sister City Committee, Executive Committee, Ramat Gan Committee and chairs the Nominating Committee.
Francesca is on the Advisory Board of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and is a Golden PANDA (People Acting Now Discover Answers) for the Steele Children’s Research Center.
Born and raised in the heart of farmland in Ohio. Moved to Arizona in 1975 and have been a resident ever since.
Began career in beverage industry beginning with Pepsi Cola for 18 years. Then transitioned to the water business where I have been a manager for the next 20 plus years.
In early 2000 had an opportunity to serve on Surface Transportation Advisory Committee representing District 5 and Councilmen Claude Mattox. Also helped to support Maryvale Revitalization especially with water donations. Also previously served on school board in Tempe.
Very excited to be a part of the Sister Cities team and look forward to all of the opportunities that await.
Chiko is an attorney with Copperpoint Mutual Insurance Companies. She has a Master’s degree in International Trade Law from the University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law. Prior to working for Copperpoint , Chiko worked for the Pima County Public Defender’s office in Tucson. She speaks Ibo (a Nigerian language). She has lived on three continents. She has two grown children. Her son lives in the UK and her daughter lives here in Phoenix. She loves to travel and meet new people and experience new cultures.
Cynthia Rodriguez has been a self-employed Bookkeeper since 2001, working with various industries such as, a non-profit organization called Arizona RBI Youth Sports, various branches of the Medical field, Real Estate, Title and Escrow and the music production industry . She has also worked with the finance industry serving clients with banking and investment needs. She is excited to be working with Phoenix Sister Cities as their Bookkeeper and look forward to what the future holds with this new relationship.
Rita Marko has been with the City of Phoenix for more than 20 years. Initially hired as the Library’s Development Officer, Rita staffed the Phoenix Public Library Foundation and raised funds for critical library services. She was promoted to the position of Library Community Relations Manager, where she was responsible for media relations, marketing and the development of the Library’s website – the City’s first responsively-designed site.
Rita transferred to the City Manager’s Office, where she supported two Deputy City Managers, and staffed three City Council Subcommittees and two task forces. Most recently, Rita served as the Management Assistant II in the Public Works Director’s Office.
Prior to coming to the City, Rita worked for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, raising $1.5 million in about 18 months. She also worked for the Skokomish Indian Nation in Washington state, serving as the community’s Health Planner, Economic Development Planner and Director of Economic Development. Rita has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona, where the focus of her studies was culture change and economic development. Her Masters thesis focused on the Cuban Women’s Federation as an agent of change for women in Cuba.
Rick Gerrard is Vice President of Phoenix Sister Cities Inc. and Deputy Director of the City of Phoenix International Relations Office. Phoenix Sister Cities is a non-profit corporation that manages ten sister city relationships on behalf of the city. He has served in this capacity since 1999. His work includes the design and coordination of international exchange projects and events around the world.
Among the major projects that he has managed was the fundraising initiative to finance the construction of a new kindergarten school in Chengdu, China, built after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province. The kindergarten, named for the City of Phoenix, replaced a school that was destroyed during the earthquake. Rick also took the lead in the development of a training program for doctors and nurses in partnership with the Maricopa County Burn Center to address a critical need for the care of burn victims in Hermosillo, Mexico after the tragic day care fire of 2009 which took the lives of over 50 infants and toddlers. In addition to his sister city related duties, Rick works with international delegations visiting Phoenix on official business, briefing the mayor and city council, and managing matters of protocol for international visitors on official business with the city.
Prior to his arrival in Phoenix, Rick served as Deputy Director at Sister Cities International (SCI) in Washington, DC. He spent ten years with SCI in various capacities. Among his major achievements, Rick organized political, educational, and trade delegations to more than a dozen industrialized and developing countries including some sponsored by the US Department of State. These included the first visit of US mayors to South Africa after the collapse of apartheid (1995); the first visit of US mayors to Vietnam after the normalization of diplomatic ties (1996); and the first visit of US mayors to Northern Ireland, just prior to the Good Friday Agreement (1997). Rick also worked closely with the SCI Board to organize and conduct four Western Hemispheric Fora for municipalities held in the US and Latin America.
Rick has been involved in international affairs for over thirty years. He served for two years as SCI’s State Representative in Arizona and served one year as President of the Arizona State Sister Cities Association. Rick received his Master of Arts in Latin American History from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences and Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese and served for two years as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay.
Over the course of his more than 18 year career in government, Mr. Lujan has earned the reputation of being a problem solver and consensus builder. He specializes in navigating clients through the process of doing business with government and serves as the ambassador between our clients and government agencies. With experience on the local, state, and federal level, Mr. Lujan knows how government works. He assists clients with developing a clear and simple strategy for navigating through government agencies. Knowing that relationships are essential, he often leverages his contacts in government on behalf of our clients. Gaining access to key decision makers is an essential part of his work with our clients. Mr. Lujan is a registered lobbyist in Phoenix and Los Angeles.
His elected and appointed offices have included Mayor of the City of La Puente, Director of the Southern California Air Quality Management District, President of the La Puente Water District, and Vice President of the California League of Cities City Selection Committee. His private sector experience includes government relations and lobbying positions within various industries in real estate, textiles, recycling, communications, and education.
Mr. Lujan graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a B.A.in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA). He also holds a Master’s in Secondary Education (M.Ed.) from Loyola Marymount University (LMU).
Dr. Allan Yang is the Chief Scientist and Sustainability Officer for U-Haul International. Since joining U-Haul in 2007, Allan has spearheaded the development and execution of the Company’s overall sustainability strategies, while researching and evaluating innovative sustainability initiatives for local field operations. Among his many accomplishments, he established the Corporate Sustainability department and the Corporate Energy and Carbon Management program for U-Haul, leading innovation and sustainability strategy alignment to the company’s commitment to sustainable and shared mobility.
With over two decades of professional, academic, and industrial experience, Allan has been a pioneering force at the forefront of sustainability and management. He currently serves as the Chair of the Industry Advisory Board of the National Science Foundation-Center for Efficient Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation Systems. In his pivotal role as Chief Scientist for U-Haul, Allan has been the guiding force behind groundbreaking research endeavors, collaborating with prestigious universities and DOE national laboratories across diverse areas ranging from sustainable transportation to energy, construction, and urban planning. He was appointed as a VIP sustainability expert of a delegation of mayors by the U.S. Department of State, representing the nation at the 2016 Climate Leaders Summit in Beijing.
Allan holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Arizona State University. He also has a Bachelor and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration. Along with his degrees, Allan has a certificate for Corporate Social Responsibility from Harvard University.
Emilio Gaynor serves as president of the CPLC Global Business LLC and as Director of International Development for Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (CPLC) where he heads international relations and development efforts. In this role, Emilio has accomplished great success in connecting Mexican businesses with resources to help make them successful in Arizona resulting in millions of dollars in foreign direct investment. He has also led high level business and government missions to Mexico connecting trade, investment, business and philanthropic partners as well as done the reverse, bringing the same types of groups to the United States. Serving the social sector, he has launched efforts of collaboration between non-profit organizations and foundations on both sides of the border. Emilio regularly contributes to Spanish publications in Sonora and Arizona including La Cueva de Los D-backs infield monthly magazine, Frontera Norte and an OpEd piece he prepared, featuring the Hermosillo Sister City relationship, was published in the Arizona Republic/Phoenix Business Journal. He has executed opportunities for the immigrant community to connect with their federal elected officials and support services. He has extensive experience in international relations and development having headed delegations and business efforts in Mexico and Latin America for over 20 years. Emilio worked in the executive branch for two governors as representative of the State of Arizona in Sonora, Mexico and as Executive Director of the Arizona Mexico Commission in the Office of the Governor. He also served as development director for Latin America for an aerospace design firm and a communications services company selling and providing services in Mexico and South America.
Emilio has created programs for non-profits and has managed large-scale public information and outreach programs projects such as Federal Aviation Administration housing relocation program for the city of Phoenix and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in Maricopa County. He headed government and community relations for Arizona’s largest Hispanic advertising and promotions firm. Emilio served as general manager for Delaware North, one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. He also represented an international mining distribution and service venture that focused on Chile, Peru, and Mexico.
Emilio’s community and civic contributions include serving as Chair of the PSC Business Relations Committee, Chair of the Arizona Diamondbacks Los D-backs Ambassador Council and is a former member and served as Chair of the Phoenix Board of Adjustment. HE also served as Chair of the Phoenix Sister Cities Hermosillo Committee, and has served on the board of the Border Health Foundation and World Affairs Council and the Easter Seals. Emilio was born I Mexico City, has worked in Paraguay, Bolivia, Dominican Republic and Chile in addition to having lived in Mexico. Emilio has the fortune of being married to Monica, who is originally from Hermosillo, and has two children, Samantha born in Hermosillo and Arturo born in Phoenix.
