Dear Friends of CCI,
It is with heartfelt emotion that I communicate with you today.
Our history together has been the driving force in my life since 1982 when I began putting together what has become known internationally as “Citizen Diplomacy”; that is working toward peaceful relations between countries facing war. So it was between the US and the USSR that I learned what is possible between two warring nations. A few others were thinking about other inroads in peaceful directions. We at CCI have been the international leader in this direction since the beginning of our work.
We developed other programs in totally different directions like private food production, cleaning up the Environment, Alcoholic Anonymous across 11 time Zones, private clothing companies.
At 86 years of age, it is impossible for me to continue as I did until 2021. At that time Kaiser took me off of a medication, Metoprolol, that had allowed me to function amazingly well considering multiple Endocrine challenges throughout my life. I went into a downturn from which I’m now recovering somewhat but never sufficiently to lead CCI again. It is past time for me to resign as Chair of the Board, which I have done. I continue to be involved as Chair Emeritus and Advisor to the Board and am creating a PodCast to be able to continue with audio communications.
Thankfully, we have three new Board members who are capable of giving CCI new life. Each has traveled to Russia with me twice in the recent past and will do so again in the near future. They each bring much needed skills during this dangerous period in which we are now moving.
Paula Day is an Attorney with great background in legal matters, but more importantly she is deeply involved in International affairs and has been all of her life. Pamela Tetarenko is an Engineer and has amazing credentials in solution thinking in her past careers, more on these in future communications. Krishen Mehta’s career has been in International Accounting as a Partner in PricehouseCoopers. He and his wife have lived abroad when work necessitated it. Krishen is deeply concerned with the issues existing in today’s world. As is his wife, a NGO manager for girls sold into slavery.
Each of these three Board members have large databases from which to draw as they become more involved in CCI’s future work.
I encourage you to support their efforts in CCI’s and the world’s behalf.
Let us work and pray for peaceful co-existence to avoid Nuclear War.
Sharon Tennison
Chair Emeritus & Advisor to the Board
Center for Citizen Initiatives