Ashley Bell named Peace Corps Associate Director for External Affairs
So far the Peace Corps has enjoyed bi-partisan support. I am not concerned about the budget being cut. I am…
Washington, D.C., July 7, 2017 — The White House has appointed Ashley Bell as the new Associate Director for External Affairs at Peace Corps. As head of External Affairs, Bell will oversee Peace Corps’ Offices of Communications, Congressional Relations, Gifts and Grants Management and Strategic Partnerships and Intergovernmental Affairs.
“Peace Corps volunteers represent the best the United States has to offer and I am grateful for the opportunity to support an agency founded in the American ideal of serving others,” Bell said. “As head of External Affairs, my hope is to highlight to the public the vital role Peace Corps plays in irrevocably changing the lives of both volunteers and the communities they help.”
Bell joins Peace Corps with a wealth of experience in external affairs and international relations. Prior to Peace Corps, Bell served as a special advisor in the Public Affairs Bureau of the Department of State, where he developed strategy around the Secretary of State’s domestic engagement agenda. During the presidential transition, Bell served as the communications and intergovernmental affairs lead on the landing team at the Department of State.
Before joining the Trump Administration, Bell was a senior strategist for communications at the Republican National Committee (RNC). As national director of African American political engagement for the RNC, he managed and provided strategic direction to over 200 RNC field employees and thousands of volunteers. He is the founder, chief executive officer and chairman of 20/20 Leaders of America. A lawyer by trade, Ashley began his career as a public defender, and later became a trial attorney and co-founder of the law firm Bell & Washington LLP, based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a graduate of Valdosta State University and obtained his law degree from Louisiana State University.
He, of course, never was a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Being a Republican Party functionary, let’s hope Mr Bell hasn’t been placed in this position to facilitate Congressional Republicans’ efforts to cut the Peace Corps budget and that of foreign aid in general — whilst saying all the “right things” about how valuable the Peace Corps is. I’m hoping. JAT
So far the Peace Corps has enjoyed bi-partisan support. I am not concerned about the budget being cut. I am concerned about how the new Director, when appointed, might interpert the First Goal. Mr. Bell comes, immediately, from the transition team at the State Department. I don’t know what that experience might mean for the Peace Corps.