John P. McDonough, Secretary of State     ~     Brian R. Moe, Deputy Secretary of State

Leningrad Region/City of St. Petersburg, Russia
Maryland Sister State Program education representatives attend international youth forum in Russia  ~
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• Dr. Betty Morgan, Superintendent of Washington County Public Schools had a productive discussion with the Superintendent of Leningrad Region Education. Eksenia, their interpreter, joins them in the photograph. (July 30, 2009)

• Dr. Morgan and her husband Doug, an advanced mathematics teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools (far left) spent the day at the regional celebrations in Vyborg. They are joined by Sheila Gwaltney, American Consular General in St. Petersburg, and two forum delegates from Finland, Anika and Aapo. (August 1, 2009)

• Forum delegates, including Dr. Morgan and Mr. Doug Morgan, center, visited the youth summer center, Molodyozhnyi in the Leningrad Region. (July 30, 2009)
• Open World alumni, (2009) Ruslan Alekhin, Head of the Voyskovitskoye Village Administration, Voyskovitskoye Village (far end of table) and (2008) German Tereshkin (next to Mr. Alekhin), Head of Administration, Vyritskoe Town Administration meet with Mendy Nitsch (opposite side of table closest to camera), representing the Maryland - Leningrad Region Sister States Program on August 3, 2009 in Gatchinsky District. Also at the table are Yelena Yefremova, Open World Deputy Country Director, Open World Leadership Center, U.S. Embassy, Moscow and (2008) Dr. Tatina Smolina, interpreter, Gerzen State Pedagogical University, St. Petersburg.
• Open World alumni from the Kirovsk District of the Leningrad Region meet with Mendy Nitsch, representing the Maryland - Leningrad Region Sister State Program on August 4, 2009. From left to right: Dr. Tatiana Smolina, interpreter, Gerzen State Pedagogical University, St. Petersburg, Natalia Padchina, Alumni Coordinator Open World Program, American Councils, (2009) Denis Mironov, Municipal Institution Head, Deputies Council Chairman, Shumskoye Village, Kirovsk Provincial District, (2008)Alexey Koltzov, First Deputy Head of Administration, Kirovskiy Provincial District Administration, Mendy Nitsch, Yelena Yefremova, Open World Deputy Country Director, Open World Leadership Center, U.S. Embassy, Moscow
• Mendy Nitsch, Director of International Programs for Maryland's Office of the Secretary of State attended the celebration of the 82nd anniversary of the establishment of the Leningrad Region in Vyborg on August 1, 2009 where she ran into three Open World alumni who has recently visited Maryland (June 2009) as guests of the Maryland - Leningrad Region Sister State Committee. To the left is Vladmir Roshkovich, Administrator, Vyborkskiy Provincial District Administration and to the right, Denis Mironov, Municipal Institution Head, Deputies Council Chairman, Shumskoye Village, Kirovsk Provincial District.
• Dmitriy Khorosanov, Head of Administration, Nikolskiy Urban Settlement Administration, Podporozhskiy Provinicial District and Mendy Nitsch also in Vyborg.