REM Award Honorees (2017) — Mark Fisher (Kotlas Connection)
Mark Fisher has served on the executive committee of the Kotlas-Waterville Area Sister City Connection since 2002. Mark made his first trip to Kotlas in 2012 to help celebrate the city’s 95th anniversary. In 2015, he was among the delegates who travelled to Kotlas to mark the 25th anniversary of the sister-city relationship, and to teach a class at American Sampler, Kotlas’s counterpart to our own Russian Sampler. In June, he will be in Kotlas to represent our organization in the gala celebration of the 100th anniversary of the city’s founding.
Since 2003, Mark has hosted over 60 international students, mostly from Russia, China, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, either for free or at cost. He encourages many to apply for admission to Kennebec Valley Community College, Thomas College, Colby College and local high schools. He assists them in arranging tours of universities such as MIT, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
Mark is president of American Academic Adventures and a member of the Town Council of Oakland.
For more information about the Kotlas Connection, visit its website.