RPCVs in the news

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Peter Navarro (Thailand) going to jail
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Libby Bennett (Zambia) | New Executive Director of Groundworks Collaborative
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Sarah Quinn (Morocco) | Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center
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Zack Guido (Bolivia) . . . Climate Change RPCV
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Lisa Curtis of Kuli Kuli Foods
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Katie Rotramel (Nicaragua) joins RD team of Grand Challenges Program / U of Md
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Peter Navarro (Thailand) sentenced to prison
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Bruce Corker (Colombia) wins coffee case
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Professor Thomas Pearson (Nicaragua) | Research on Racial and Ethnic Exclusion
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Robin Seyfert (South Africa, Zambia) | “Handmade Hope”
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Six decades of Peace Corps in Nepal
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Green Bay Packers honored RPCV Dan Krause (Kenya) during Sunday’s game
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Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (Panama) disqualifies Trump
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Joel Rubin (Costa Rico) running for Congress from Maryland
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An interview with North Africa Folklorist Deborah Kapchan (Morocco)

Peter Navarro (Thailand) going to jail

In the news   WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court denied Trump White House official and RPCV Peter Navarro’s (Thailand 1965-68) bid to stave off his jail sentence on contempt of Congress charges Thursday. Navarro has been ordered to report to a federal prison by March 19. He argued he should stay free as he appeals his conviction for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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Libby Bennett (Zambia) | New Executive Director of Groundworks Collaborative

  RPCVs in the news    Groundworks, a homeless shelter in Brattleboro, Vermont Promotes Libby Bennett (Zambia 2006-09) To Be New Executive Director March 13, 2024   BRATTLEBORO—The Board of Directors of Groundworks Collaborative has announced that Libby Bennett, formerly the agency’s Director of Development & Communications, has accepted the offer to lead the organization as its new Executive Director. Bennett has been on staff with the agency since joining the Morningside Shelter team in 2012. Previously, she served as an intern for the organization in 2011 while completing practicum work toward her master’s degree in non-profit management from the SIT Graduate Institute. Bennett points back to volunteering for overnight shifts at Brattleboro’s Seasonal Overflow Shelter in 2010/2011 as her earliest interaction with the agency—inspired to volunteer after hearing a presentation from the founder of Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, Melinda Bussino. A lifelong resident of Brattleboro and graduate of Brattleboro . . .

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Sarah Quinn (Morocco) | Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center

  RPCVs in the news School of Law, University of Georgia Friday, March 1, 2024 Sarah Quinn (Morocco 2011-14) currently serves as the director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center, which has served as a nucleus for global research, education and service for the University of Georgia School of Law since 1977. Previously, she was the associate director for global practice preparation and managed the school’s Global Governance Summer School (a four-decades-old summer study abroad offering), Global Externships, the Graduate Certificate in International Law and other academic and research initiatives. Before coming to the School of Law, Quinn was the coordinator of faculty-led study abroad and domestic field study programs at the UGA Office of Global Engagement. She oversaw the development, management and assessment of almost 200 programs annually. Quinn designed and led a variety of professional opportunities for faculty and staff involved in study abroad programming at the . . .

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Zack Guido (Bolivia) . . . Climate Change RPCV

  Zack Guido  is Program Manager at the University of Arizona’s International Research and Application Program (IRAP). climate impacts on water resources, co-producing end-to-end climate services, and climate risk management. Guido has also conducted research to advance climate adaptation planning with Arizona municipalities and worked with Federal emergency managers to develop tailored climate information. In these efforts, Guido employs frameworks for the co-production of science in order to make climate information more credible, relevant, and useful. Guido has extensive international research and practice experience. A three-year Peace Corps stint in Bolivia between 2000 and 2003 subsequently paved the way for him to co-found a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to work with rural Bolivians to make their water resources more resilient to shortfalls from drought and retreating glaciers. This topic also became part of Guido’s PhD dissertation (2015) at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. Guido has also . . .

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Lisa Curtis of Kuli Kuli Foods

Lisa Curtis (Niger 2010-11), founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods, traveled the world with the hope of making it a better place. Working in the Peace Corps in Niger, Africa, she realized the infinite power of moringa, an ingredient made from the “drumstick tree” that is known for its antioxidant and inflammatory properties. “I was working in a very rural village where I was eating rice every day,” says Curtis, who is a vegetarian. “I was pretty tired and wanted to feel better.” While volunteering, some of the women told Curtis to eat moringa and showed her a fried peanut snack called kuli kuli that’s made with moringa leaves. “It had an incredible impact on me,” Curtis says. “It made me feel energized.” High in protein, calcium and iron, moringa is a nutrient-dense superfood with 27 vitamins and 46 antioxidants. Medical News Today lists several benefits of moringa, with links . . .

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Katie Rotramel (Nicaragua) joins RD team of Grand Challenges Program / U of Md

  In the news   Katie Rotramel (Nicaragua 2002-04) joined the Research Development team in early 2024 as the Project Manager of the Grand Challenges Program at the University of Maryland. Prior to coming to UMD, Katie served as the Director of Institutional Giving for the Humane Rescue Alliance (DC) and St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center (NJ), where she had ample opportunity to thoroughly understand grant proposals and reporting processes for a large variety of funders. Her project management skills were essential in managing a DC catering business for five years, as well as a decade working in the international development field. She kicked off that career through Peace Corps service in Nicaragua and then spent another eight years as a Program Officer for several international nonprofit organizations and the Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA). A Philadelphia native, Katie received her B.A. in Environmental Policy and Spanish from Albright College and has . . .

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Peter Navarro (Thailand) sentenced to prison

In the news —  Ex-Trump adviser sentenced to 4 months in prison   Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro (Thailand 1965-68) speaking outside a federal court in Washington, D.C., in September 2023. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison on Thursday for defying a 2022 congressional subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Why it matters: Navarro is now the second Trump adviser to receive a prison sentence for refusing to testify before the panel and provide it documents related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election. In addition to his prison sentence, Navarro was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine. Catch up quickly: Navarro was accused by the Jan. 6 committee of working with fellow Trump adviser Steve Bannon and others to develop a plan to delay Congress’ certification of the 2020 election. Bannon was the first high-ranking Trump official to be sentenced . . .

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Bruce Corker (Colombia) wins coffee case

  RPCVs in the news — Long ago in the green mountains of Colombia a young Peace Corps volunteer dreamed of one day owning a coffee farm. Rancho Aloha is the result of that dream, and its name honors both the Latin American inspiration of our farm and its magical Hawaiian location. High above the Kona coastline, abundant rainfall, rich volcanic soils and a natural afternoon cloud cover produce a rich and mellow bean. The harvest is picked by hand and dried in the sun. How Coffee Farmers in Hawaii Fought Counterfeit Kona Beans A testing method borrowed from geology helped farmers sue a slew of stores selling supposed “Kona” coffee. By Virginia Hughes, NY Times Jan. 18, 2024     On the volcanic slopes of Hawaii’s Big Island, hundreds of farmers in the Kona region produce one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Those farmers recently won a . . .

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Professor Thomas Pearson (Nicaragua) | Research on Racial and Ethnic Exclusion

RPCVs in the news—   Maxwell Professor’s Research on Racial and Ethnic Exclusion Supported by Russell Sage Foundation Grant Syracuse News January 19, 2024, By Jessica Youngman   Thomas Pearson, assistant professor of economics in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, is part of a team of scholars who have been awarded $195,000 from the Russell Sage Foundation to study the exclusion and expulsion of the minority groups from U.S. towns and cities between 1850 and 1950.Their project, “The Geography of Race and Ethnicity in the United States: Uncovering a Hidden History of Expulsion and Exclusion,” will result in a nationwide dataset detailing the expulsion and exclusion of minority groups that occurred locally, even if illegal at the federal level. The team aims to identify understudied forms of exclusion such as “sundown towns” to characterize both the causes of racial/ethnic exclusion and its consequences for . . .

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Robin Seyfert (South Africa, Zambia) | “Handmade Hope”

In the news — By Christine Spicer .Viewpoint, PLNU  ­RPCV Robin Seyfert  knows beauty can be found in people and places that are overlooked or even steeped in darkness. As the founder and managing director of Basha Enterprises Ltd., she sees women who have been trafficked or who are vulnerable to exploitation find hope and healing through dignified work in a safe environment. Basha Boutique sells jewelry, kantha blankets, accessories, and Christmas items, all handmade by women who are rebuilding their lives. The kantha is a profound symbol of Basha Boutique’s work and mission. “A kantha is a quilt made of old saris stitched into straight, even rows,” Seyfert explained. “They are all sewn freehand. We take old discarded saris and stitch them into a blanket that is really beautiful. As each artisan transforms the worn cloth, she is also rebuilding her life.” ‘Basha’ means house in Bengali, and ‘asha’ means . . .

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Six decades of Peace Corps in Nepal

In the news —  The US and Nepal have been steadfast friends not only as countries but also on the individual level a statement by  Troy Kofroth (country director/Nepal 2022– present) The Katnamdu Post January 7, 2024 Each year at this time, the Peace Corps notes the anniversary of the start of the programme in Nepal in 1962. On August 24 of that year — soon after President John F Kennedy created the Peace Corps — the governments of Nepal and the United States signed a bilateral agreement to authorize the Peace Corps’ operation in Nepal. Just a few weeks later, in September 1962, the first group of 77 volunteers consisting of teachers and agriculture specialists arrived in Kathmandu to live in, and partner with, Nepali communities. Since 1962, nearly 4,000 US citizens have arrived in Nepal to serve as volunteers for two years. These volunteers have lived in communities . . .

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Green Bay Packers honored RPCV Dan Krause (Kenya) during Sunday’s game

In the news Packers honored RPCV Dan Krause during Sunday’s game against the Bears Jan 07, 2024     The Green Bay Packers and Network Health paid special tribute to U.S. Army veteran Daniel Krause during Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago Bears for ‘Operation Fan Mail.’ Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marked its 17th season this year.   After Krause graduated from high school, he joined the U.S. Army as a medic. He went on to graduate with honors from UW-Stevens Point. He also served in the Peace Corps (Kenya 1992-994) and graduated from law school at New York University, where he also earned a master’s degree in philosophy. He then practiced law for the Menominee and Oneida tribes, then opened his own law office in Shawano, Wis.   He served for a total of 31 years, serving . . .

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Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (Panama) disqualifies Trump

In the news —   On Thursday, December 28, Maine Secretary of State RPCV Shenna Bellows  disqualified former President Trump from the 2024 ballot. Bellows cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, which prevents a person who has engaged in any rebellious activity against the country from holding office. “The U.S. Constitution does not tolerate an assault on the foundations of our government, and Section 336 requires me to act in response,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows wrote. Bellows’ decision to block Trump from the 2024 ballot comes a week after the Colorado Supreme Court barred the former president from the state’s Republican primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment, seemingly referencing Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress. Bellows’ move against Trump has sparked disbelief online. Social media users accused the Maine Secretary of State of hindering the democratic process and began circulating her picture with . . .

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Joel Rubin (Costa Rico) running for Congress from Maryland

Hi, let me introduce myself.   I’m Joel Rubin. I’m running as a Democrat for Congress to represent Maryland’s 6th District, and I’m here to connect with folks and the grassroots. I began my career as a Peace Corps volunteer and have been on the frontlines, from combating climate change to advocating for women’s rights to fighting antisemitism. I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under President Obama. I served in municipal government, including as Vice Mayor of Chevy Chase, MD. I served as executive director of the American Jewish Congress.

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An interview with North Africa Folklorist Deborah Kapchan (Morocco)

RPCVs in the news — Deborah Kapchan is an American folklorist, writer, translator and ethnographer, specializing in North Africa and its diaspora in Europe. In 2000, Kapchan became a Gugenheim fellow. She has been a Fulbright-Hays recipient twice, and is a Fellow of the American Folklore Society.  She is professor of Performance Studies at New York University, and the former director of the Center for Intercultural Studies in Folklore and Ethnomusicology (now the Américo Paredes Center for Cultural Studies) at the University of Texas at Austin. After completing her Bachelors of Arts in English Literature and French at New York University while studying flute performance with Harold Jones in New York, Kapchan went to Morocco in 1982 as a Peace Corps Volunteer. There she learned Moroccan Arabic, and in 1984 got a job doing ethnography in Marrakech and in El Ksiba, Morocco. This experience reoriented her life and in 1985 . . .

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