Published on April 07, 2026
Franklin County Board of Commissioners
Greater Columbus Sister Cities International is entering its fifth year of the CIRCLE Fellows program, a workforce development initiative that prepares young professionals for leadership in a global economy. More than 80 percent of past fellows have taken on new roles or landed new jobs after completing the program, according to Sister Cities Executive Director Jayme Staley, who presented to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners on April 7.
CIRCLE stands for Creating International Relationships through Cultural Leadership Education. The program pairs a small cohort of emerging professionals with four weekends of intensive training, followed by a delegation trip to one of Franklin County's ten sister cities. Fellows meet with local leaders, navigate working in an unfamiliar cultural context, and complete a policy project connected to their delegation experience.
The fourth cohort focused its policy project on apprenticeship education and land use, completing their work during a delegation to Odense, Denmark. This year's fifth cohort will follow the same model, applying what they learn abroad to real policy questions facing Franklin County.
Staley told commissioners the program was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, with uncertain prospects for what international programming would look like in the years ahead. The program has since grown steadily, and each year the selection process has received more applicants than it can accept.
The CIRCLE program is part of Sister Cities' broader portfolio of work, which the Franklin County Board of Commissioners renewed through a $225,000 annual contract at the same session. The agreement covers international commerce and cultural programming, as well as the continued development of additional sister city relationships for Franklin County.