Tulsa Global Alliance manages the programming for Tulsa’s eight international Sister Cities for the City of Tulsa. Contacts are sanctioned by Tulsa's Mayor. Each of Tulsa's City Councilors acts as an honorary Ambassador. Being a Sister City in the International Sister Cities Network means maintaining in-depth interactions between the cities.

How do we interact? Hundreds of area citizens coordinate complementary relationships with counterpart citizens and leaders in each of the eight foreign cities. Relationships involve educational exchanges, citizen travel, dignitary visits, internships, business interests, and tourism. 

Coffee with the Councilors - Annual Breakfast

TGA hosted it’s annual International Breakfast and Coffee with Tulsa’s City Councilors on October 25, 2023 at City Hall. The event featured delicious food representing each Sister City, which was provided by our Sister City Partnership Chairs. This year’s event featured remarks by Council Chair Crista Patrick, TGA Board Chair Kaitlin Flinn and Dr. Bruce Willis, University of Tulsa, who spoke of the Tulsa delegation’s recent trip to San Luis Potosi and the resultant student exchange program.

Directional Signs Celebrate Tulsa's Eight Sister Cities

sign #5 at City Hall

On November 27, 2023, a large gathering of friends, family and City officials dedicated Sister Cities sign #5 located outside City Hall at the corner of 2nd Street and Cincinnati. Dedicated to the memory of the late Cathy Izzo, TGA Sister Cities Program Coordinator and Office Manager, heartfelt remarks were given by Mayor G.T. Bynum, City Council Chair Krista Patrick and Izzo family members. An official proclamation was given to the Izzo family recognizing and celebrating Cathy’s years of loyal service to enriching the global connections of our community.

Sign #4 at McCullough Park

Family, friends, City officials, TGA Sister Cities Chairs, Board members and Staff participated in the dedication ceremony on June 1, 2023 at McCullough Park near East 25th Street and S. Garnett Road. The ceremony included remarks by TGA Board Chair, Dr. Ruby Libertus, sign sponsor, Arnie Marillo and Maria Murillo-Sanchez, along with Tulsa Deputy Mayor, Cassia Carr and City Councilor, Chris Bengel. The sign is dedicated to the memory of Arnulfo Murillo Muñoz. A QR code on the sign provides the family story in both Spanish and English.

Sign #3 at River Parks

TGA dedicated the third Sister Cities directional sign on October 20, 2022 located in River Parks at 68th and Riverside Drive. The dedication ceremony included remarks by TGA Board Chair Ruby Libertus and City Councilor Jeannie Cue, along with special guests Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill, Del Beaver Muscogee Nation Second Chief, and Muskogee Nation princesses who shared their blessings and culture.

Sign #2 at GRC Office Park

Tulsa's second Sister Cities directional sign was installed in December 2021 at GRC Park at 88th and South Yale Avenue. The sign is sponsored by CCK Strategies.

Sign #1 at Tulsa Ports

Celebrating 40 years of Sister City Partnerships

In 2020, TGA and the City of Tulsa celebrated 40 years of Sister City partnerships by announcing a special dedication of the first Sister Cities Directional Sign at Tulsa Ports. The directional sign displays Tulsa’s eight international sister cities with the distance between Tulsa and each sister city in both miles and kilometers, the city emblem, and the year they became one of Tulsa’s Sister Cities. Tulsa’s Sister Cities are Amiens, France; Beihai, China; Celle, Germany; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Tiberias, Israel; Utsunomiya, Japan and Zelenograd, Russia. The sign at Tulsa Ports is sponsored by Advance Research Chemicals, Inc. It is the first of several directional signs TGA plans to install throughout the city. Other major cities that have Sister City directional signs include Phoenix, Chicago, Los Angeles, Fort Worth, San Diego and San Francisco.

ABOUT SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL

Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International is a nonpartisan nonprofit serving as the national membership organization for 545 U.S. sister cities, counties, and states with 2,121 partnerships in 145 countries on six continents. This network unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers. For more information, visit Sister Cities International. And to read President Eisenhower's speech given in 1956 at the White House Conference on Citizen Diplomacy,
visit "The White House Conference that Started it All."

Our Sister Cities