Archive - October 22, 2012

I think that we can be assured of massive changes in the Peace Corps Administration, the size and scope of the agency, and where PCVs will go next,  given a Romney Administration. Unlike some former presidents, Romney has no historical connections to the Peace Corps. Yes, he was a missionary for the Mormon Church as a young man, but not to a developing country. He was in France! He didn’t, therefore, see the world where Peace Corps Volunteers lived and served. He did not share the adventures of being a young person in another society, though some might say the Left Bank had a lot to teach Mitt. Also, as a Republican, he had no ‘Kennedy Legacy’ blowing at his back. The Peace Corps was ‘their’ program, Romney might say, not ours. During the Nixon Administration, Fat Pat Buchanan and others Right Wingers attempted to close the agency down, given . . .

Aaron Williams is returning to RTI International from which he came as Executive Vice President of the International Development Group. The announcement was made to the employees of RTI this afternoon. Aaron Williams became director of the Peace Corps on July 14, 2009. The Senate confirmed him on August 7, 2009, and Williams was sworn in as Director on August 24, 2009. Williams served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic from 1967 to 1970. Before joining the agency, Aaron had over 25 years of experience in the design and implementation of worldwide assistance programs. As USAID Mission Director in South Africa, Williams led a billion dollar foreign assistance program during President Nelson Mandela’s administration. In addition to his work in South Africa, Williams has extensive experience in the strategic design and management of assistance programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East; including long-term assignments . . .