We are a consulting group headquartered in Austin, Texas. We help cities work with their German partners in the Sister City program to organize and manage international apprenticeship exchange programs.
Renata Anderson, the President of AI, grew up in Germany, and has lived in the United States for more than 30 years. After many years in New York and Connecticut, she and her husband moved to Austin in 1986.
Renata was the originator and leader in developing the Sister City relationship between Austin and Koblenz, Germany, beginning in 1987. She is still the President of the German-American Association of Austin, and is the German member of the Austin Sister City Executive Committee. She is also Co-Chairman of the Mayor's Task Force on School-to-Work Transition and Career Pathways for Youth. In 1995, she was one of the primary architects of the Austin-Koblenz Apprenticeship Exchange program, which has received international acclaim from educators.
For this work, Renata was awarded in 1996 the Distinguished Service Medal of the City of Austin and received a Special Award for Distinguished Service from the Lord Mayor of Koblenz.
In September 1997, the German Federal Government awarded Renata the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande, that country's highest civilian award. (The nearest U. S. equivalent is the Medal of Freedom.)
Renata Anderson is now working with cities in the United States and Germany to help them create and manage apprentice exchange programs. If you would like more information, you can contact her at our offices.