Sherman Banks was the first African-American to be elected President of Sister Cities International, Banks dedicated his presidency to actively furthering the principles upon which President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded Sister Cities post WWII - “to exchange ideas together, to work together and to dream together.”
In May of 2016 the President of Ghana appointed Banks as Honorary Consul of Arkansas- Delta Region for the Republic of Ghana. The U.S. State Department approved and issued Consul ID and the Consulate in Little Rock, Arkansas was officially commissioned on February 17, 2017
Mr. Banks co-led peace missions to Egypt and Morocco during which he realized his dream of conducting the first ever Sister Cities International “Islamic Summit - Citizen Diplomacy in the 21st Century.” He led a delegation of elected officials and Sister Cities International Board members to China to negotiate the details for the second U.S./Sino conference between China and the U.S.
Banks worked with Prince Kwame of Ghana to develop the Global Sister Cities Foundation and to organize the Africa Global Sister Cities Summit in 2008 held in Accra, Ghana. The Summit focused on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals of reducing extreme poverty rates, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, and providing universal primary education by 2015. Banks also worked with Prince Kwame 2010 symposium on Traditional Leaders working together with Elected Officials.
In May 2013, Banks led a delegation mission to develop a relationship between the local government of Great Britain and the Arkansas Municipal League. During that trip, he established the first veterans exchange relationship between Northern England and Arkansas.
Banks is a current member of Rotary International and has served as local Rotary President and a Paul Harris Fellow. He served as the Rotary Group Study Exchange Leader to Italy and as Rotary Group Study Exchange Chair to Perth, Australia for District 6150. Mr. Banks is Founder & CEO of Banks International Development and currently serves as a member of the National League of Cities International Committee and as a member of the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council and Honorary Commander of the 34th Combat Training Squadron.
Recognizing his tireless efforts to further global cooperation and understanding through citizen diplomacy, Mr. Banks was awarded the title of President Emeritus of Sister Cities International.
