The Peace Corps

Joanna Luloff received her MFA from Emerson College and her PhD from the University of Missouri. Before all of those years of graduate school, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Baddegama, Sri Lanka. Her short stories have appeared in The Missouri Review, Confrontation, Western Humanities Review, Memorious, and New South, and her collection The Beach at Galle Road was released by Algonquin Books in October, 2012. Her debut novel Remind Me Again What Happened is forthcoming in June from Algonquin. She is an Assistant Professor of English at University of Colorado Denver. More information at www.joannaluloff.com. Joanna, where were you before the Peace Corps? Well, I was born in Belgium, but my family moved to Massachusetts when I was quite young. I grew up in Southboro, a small town near Worcester. I went to Algonquin Regional High School, then on to Vassar College for my BA, Emerson College . . .

  New Peace Corps director Jody Olsen most enjoys seeing ‘people change’  May 7, 2018 9:03 am        Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. • Tom Temin Interviews Jody Olsen Jody Olsen cannot quite seem to leave the Peace Corps behind. She volunteered in Tunisia for the Corps in the 1960s. In between various jobs, she has returned to the Peace Corps as a country director and deputy director. Now she has returned again, this time as director. She was sworn in just a month ago and joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin in the studio. Career Peace Corps Staffer Jody Olsen gives a short interview on Federal Drive and praises (without naming) past Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet and how Carrie led “historic reforms to modernize the agency.” Olsen mentioned the changes in Recruitment and the application Carrie did and how that . . .

Could you help me? We have many, many RPCV Ambassadors and I am trying to track down their names and Peace Corps countries, as well as, email addresses so I might interview them for an article about how PCVs have gone from their tours onto careers in the Foreign Service, much as JFK envisioned when he created the agency. Take a look at the list and send me your additional names as well as updates to the information I have collected. Write me at: jcoyneone@gmail.com . Many thanks for your help.   Charles C. Adams Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Finland (???), (PCV Kenya 1968 – 1970) Frank Almaguer, U. S.Ambassador to Honduras (Belize 1967–1969) Michael R. Arietti, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda (India ?–?) Charles R. Baquet III U.S. Ambassador to Republic of Djibouti  (Somalia 1965-67) Robert Blackwill, U. S. Ambassador to India  (Malawi 1964 – 1966) Richard Boucher, Deputy Secretary-General of . . .

There are no Peace Corps Volunteers working in Washington. The heart and soul of Peace Corps are Volunteers working all over the world. But the management machine which places and supports them is in Washington DC. It is a federal agency and like many federal agency, it has its problems, or in bureaucratic speak: “Challenges”. In a recent report by the Peace Corps’s Office of the Inspector General, this observation was made: “The Peace Corps is a small agency that finds itself challenged to meet its global mission while at the same time complying with all of the requirements of a Federal agency. While the Peace Corps has shaped its core values around Volunteer wellbeing, commitment to national service, and other areas related to quality programming, diversity, and innovation, the agency has not made complying with Federal laws, regulations, and other requirements a priority.” (page 11, https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.peacecorps.gov/documents/inspector-general/Management_and_performance_challenges_WEB_page_numbers.pdf) I can almost hear . . .

  Thanks to the ‘heads up’ from Leita Kaldi (Senegal 1993-96) •    A note from Leita — The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of the Gulf Coast of Florida hosted World Heritage Festival Saturday, April 28, 2018, at Bayfront Park from 11 am to 3 pm, in partnership with “Embracing Our Differences.” RPCVs showed displays representing the seven regions Peace Corps Volunteers serve in and shared their stories. We had artifacts, sights and music from all over the world. Hundreds of people attended and  what a wonderful surprise when students from Manatee School of the Performing Arts and Sarasota School for the Arts and Sciences did cultural dances for us! That spontaneity was so uplifting! All the students that were there contributed so much and worked steadfastly to make sure our event was a success!

  Peace Corps Director to speak at University of Maryland, Baltimore commencement   The director of the Peace Corps will deliver the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s spring commencement address, university officials said. Jody Olsen will speak to graduates during the May 18 graduation ceremony in Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. She “is a tireless champion for developing the campus infrastructure and faculty and student competencies to ensure that we can effectively and safely deliver great global education,” said Richard P. Barth, dean of the university’s school of social work. “She is a terrific communicator, relentlessly optimistic and affirming, and exceptionally knowledgeable about all things international.” Olsen began her work in the Peace Corps as a Volunteer in Tunisia in 1966. She gradually moved up through the ranks, before being confirmed as the Peace Corps’ director in March, having made the Peace Corps her career. She has also been a visiting professor in . . .

  From Tunisia to Baltimore to Washington, new Peace Corps director at home in the world Baltimore Sun Sunday, May 6, 2018 Jody Olsen, director of the Peace Corps, talks about her introduction to the Peace Corps as well as the the continued excitement of people to volunteer for the mission. by Jean Marbella, Reporter • Half a century ago, after completing two years as a Peace Corp volunteer in Tunisia, where she taught English, learned how to make couscous and drank tea with merchants, Jody Olsen moved to another new place quite foreign to her. But she soon got to know her neighbors, who shared dinners, the names of house painters and day care arrangements, and quickly felt at home in the village. Charles Village. “Villages are villages,” Olsen said with a laugh. Olsen considers those 10 years in Baltimore an important part of a journey that took her . . .

  Manning wore six badges on her black dress. According to a pooled report, they included one with a poster for the Women’s March that followed Trump’s inauguration, one that said “Trans Equality Now” and one in the shape of an apple with a rainbow. The badges also represented the teacher of the year programme, National Education Association and Peace Corps, where she began her teaching career.

  Thanks to the ‘heads up’ from Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65) • Teacher of the Year shares speech she says Trump wouldn’t let her read during award ceremony  BY JOHN BOWDEN The Hill 5/5/2018   Teacher of the Year shares speech she says Trump wouldn’t let her read during award ceremony Mandy Manning (Armenia 1999-2000), this year’s National Teacher of the Year, read a speech on CNN Saturday that she said President Trump wouldn’t let her give during her award ceremony at the White House. In an interview with CNN’s Van Jones, Manning read from her speech, which referenced the immigrant and refugee students she teaches, as well as her support for LGBT and other marginalized students. Manning said her purpose is to tell her students “that they are wanted, they are enough, and they matter.” In her appearance on CNN, she listed the names of her students who she says rely on America’s “policy of welcoming immigrants . . .

  Thanks to the ‘heads up’ from Dale Gilles (Liberia 1964-66 & PC/W 1968-73 & 1990-93) • President Trump Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Sierra Leone to Attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Julius Maada Bio Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen, a life long Republican and one of President Trump’s greatest supporters has been selected by the President to lead the U.S. delegation to Sierra Leone. President Donald J. Trump announced on May 3 the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Sierra Leone to attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Julius Maada Bio on May 12, 2018, in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Jody will lead the delegation.  Members of the Presidential Delegation: Maria E. Brewer, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone Cyril E. Sartor, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council Stephanie S. Sullivan, Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary, . . .

  Thanks to a ‘heads up’ from Dan Campbell (El Salvador 1974-77)  •   • The winner of the National Teacher of the Year award handed President Donald Trump a stack of letters from refugee and children in her classroom during a ceremony in the White House. Mandy Manning (Armenia 1999-2000), who teaches English to newly arrived immigrants and refugees at Joel E. Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington, was announced as the winner of the annual award after the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) praised her methods for helping children to “overcome their fears and seek out new experiences.” While accepting the award, Manning staged a silent protest against the president by wearing a number of political badges. The badges included one reading “Trans Equality Now,” one promoting the Women’s March which took place following Trump’s inauguration and a rainbow-colored apple. After the ceremony, Manning told the Associated Press that she used a private . . .

  Gathering in Celebration of the Life of Nancy Graham May 10, 1926 ~ January 12, 2018 We hope you will join the Graham family and friends for a gathering in memory of Nancy Graham. Saturday, May 12, 2018 10:30am Temple B’nai Israel (new site) 7199 Tristan Drive Easton, MD 21601 A reception with light refreshments will follow. We look forward to seeing you. John and Dawn, Nan and Mark, Dick and Audrey, Hoey and Ronnie, Busy and Stew Feel free to send a card, a story, a poem, or a photo for the memory book to: busygraham@gmail.com or to P.O. Box 87, Royal Oak, MD 21662. • Here is what appeared in the Washington Post: Nancy Graham, Peace Corps official Nancy Graham, 91, who served as a special assistant to four Peace Corps directors from 1976 to 1982 and also served on many nonprofit boards, died Jan. 12 at her home in Royal Oak, Md. The . . .

An unofficial guide to the locations of resources describing the Peace Corps, and its history.  This list is a cooperative effort with Alana deJoseph, producer of the documentary in progress, A Towering Task, her team and the many archivists and librarians at the places cited. Thank you to all . — J Roll This list of locations is independent of the Peace Corps and was created without the assistance or authorization of the Peace Corps.  The archives and/or organizations each maintain their collections and have their own rules and procedures for accepting donations and accessing the collection. It is necessary to contact each directly for further information. (Update: April 30, 2018   This is the latest information we have. Please comment, correct and contribute.) Peace Corps is a federal agency staffed by civilian service employees, who may or may not have served in the Peace Corps and who are responsible for . . .

In April, 1989, Marian Haley Beil and I published a 4-page newsletter entitled RPCV Writers. I had — as a writer — been tracking other Peace Corps writers, and had already organized a panel discussion about Peace Corps books for the 25th Anniversary RPCV Conference in 1986. Marian, also an Ethiopia I (1962-64) Volunteer, agreed to help me. She designed, published and circulated the quarterly newsletter. We saw our newsletter as a way of sharing information about publications, readings, writing grants, and teaching positions for RPCVs. To recognize and promote Peace Corps writers, in 1990, we established annual awards for outstanding writing in a variety of genre. We funded the award prizes and have (so far) given out 143. In July of 1991 we changed the publication’s name to RPCV Writers & Readers and increased the number of issues to six a year. In November 1998, we published our last . . .

In 1986 the Peace Corps celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. As part of the preparation for that event, an effort was made to establish a repository for the personal papers of returned volunteers relating to their experience in the field. This project was carried forward after the anniversary by a small committee of RPCVs, including Suzy McKee Charnas (Nigeria 1961-62), Roger Landrum (Nigeria 1961-62), Margaret Pollock (Korea 1966-68), and myself under the auspices of the then NPCA known as the Natonal Council of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. While the official records of the Peace Corps are preserved in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., no institution at the time had been systematically saving personal papers and documents of the former Volunteers and staff. With the passage of time it had become increasingly urgent to gather and preserve the irreplaceable records and observations of PCVs service all over the world. That is . . .