Archive - 2023

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Chris Hedrick (Senegal 1988-90)   by Steve Schmidt at The Warning January 19, 2023     Martin Luther King lived a dangerous life. He was hunted and threatened because he believed in freedom, and like all true freedom fighters, he was a revolutionary. Like all revolutionaries, he was impatient for the completion of his work. He was the rarest type of revolutionary. King didn’t seek power, wealth, revenge, riches or land. He sought justice, and his weapon was love. Like all men, he was a sinner. Yet, within him was a singularity of wisdom that would topple mountains and carve valleys of hope like glaciers receding from their furthest reaches. Politicians like Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy are cautious and incrementalist by nature. They understand that no victories can be won without first attaining power through an election. Both men feared weakening the country and . . .

This information is from FOIA 23-0037,  as of Friday, January 13, 2023 “A search conducted by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer provided the following information: There are 49 Peace Corps Volunteer Trainees, 783 Peace Corps Volunteers, 56 Peace Corps Response Volunteers 16 Volunteers serving in virtual programs. In total, there are 1,004 Volunteers in service as of January 13, 2023.”

Incoming Maryland Governor Names Katie Savage as New CIO Digital Defense Director Katie Savage ( Malawi 2008-10) was tapped to serve as the state’s secretary of information technology in a series of cabinet appointments made on Friday by Maryland Gov.-elect Wes Moore. January 17, 2023   The Maryland state Capitol building. Savage brings extensive technology experience, including leading the Defense Digital Service within the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Prior to that, she was director of operations and services at the City Tech Collaborative with the city of Chicago. While at DOD, she helped lead the COVID-19 response, including the development of an emergency communication software toolkit. She also developed a digital employment verification tool to support the visa application process for Afghan refugees and families applying for U.S. asylum on behalf of the State Department and DOD. With City Tech, she helped the city of Chicago improve digital government . . .

  Timeless Photography of Rowland Scherman (PC Staff 1961-63) Peter E. Randall Publisher March 2014 104 pages $22.21 (Paperback) Rowland Scherman began taking pictures in New York in 1958. He served as the first photographer for the Peace Corps in 1961, and he has subsequently done covers and photojournalism for LIFE, Time, Newsweek, Paris Match, Playboy, and National Geographic. Timeless presents over seventy iconic images of celebrities and politicians from the 1960s and 70s, many of whom were featured in Life magazine. Extended commentary includes fascinating stories of Bob Dylan, the birth of the Peace Corps, LBJ, the March on Washington, Robert F. Kennedy, Barbara Walters, Arthur Ashe and many others.

  Have you ever struggled to communicate with a limited-English speaker? Have you been frustrated by unsuccessful interactions with non-native English speakers? Did you know there is a simple solution to improve cross-cultural communication in English? What most of us native speakers overlook in these situations is that the problem here may not be the limited English of the other person; it could be our English. And while we certainly can’t do anything about the former, we can do a great deal about the latter. This short book gives 50 practical tools to help you become aware of and adapt your own language to completely transform exchanges with limited-English speakers and greatly increase the chances of a satisfying outcome for both you and the limited-English speaker you’re trying to help or serve. And the good news is: it is not that difficult and it is entirely in the hands of . . .

  A well-written, informative history of a groundbreaking 20th-century volunteer organization. Kirkus Reviews • Former International Voluntary Services workers provide insights into their organization in this detailed historical anthology.   A nonprofit organization founded in 1953, International Voluntary Services, according to former IVS volunteer and United States Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy J. Chamberlin, “occupies a special place as a pioneer for fielding volunteers” that served as a model for the Peace Corps and a host of subsequent NGOs. The anthology, divided into four sections, is a historical overview of IVS’s endeavors from the 1950s through the 2000s. While IVS was an officially nonsectarian organization, the anthology explains that many IVS members came from Mennonite, Quaker, and Christian pacifist backgrounds, and the organization offered an alternative approach to international relations in the wake of World War II and the start of the Cold War. In its half-century of activism, IVS sent . . .

  This information is from FOIA 23-0021: “A search conducted by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer provided the following information: there are 506 Peace Corps Volunteer Trainees, 345 Peace Corps Volunteers; and 53 Peace Corps Response Volunteers. In total, there are 904 Volunteers in service as of October 31, 2022. I am closing this case in our Office. There are no fees associated with this response.” I made this FOIA request on November 13, asking for the number of Serving Peace Corps Volunteers, the number of Peace Corps Trainees and the number of Peace Corps Response Volunteers, as of October 31, 2022.  I received a response today.  It is, of course, not a current count.  I received no explaination for the long delay in responding,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Peace Corps today celebrated the ceremonial swearing of Carol Spahn (Romania 1994-96) as the 21st Director of the agency, following her unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate in December 2022. She was joined by Representative John Garamendi (D-CA), (Ethiopia 1966-68) who administered the oath of office and other invited guests, including Jody Olsen, Director of the Peace Corps (2018-2021); Carrie Hessler Radelet, Director of the Peace Corps (2012-2017); Aaron Williams, Director of the Peace Corps (2009-2012); Mark Schneider, Director of the Peace Corps (1999-2001); and Former Transportation and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Director of the Peace Corps (1991-1992). “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps, an agency with a mission I believe in deeply,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “At this pivotal moment in history, we all have the responsibility to be intentional in both . . .