New Blog: Remembering the '70s

[Coming soon on this website will be a new blog by David Searles, Remember the ’70s, as we fill in some missing years in the history of the Peace Corps. David is the author of one of the important books on the  agency,The Peace Corps Experience.   Welcome, David! We look forward to your stories and observations.]

P. David Searles served three years as the Country Director for the Peace Corps in the Philippines (1971-74), and two years at Peace Corps headquarters as Regional Director for North Africa, Near East, Asia, and Pacific (NANEAP) and as Deputy Director under John Dellenback (1974-76).

His career has included periods during which he worked in international business, government service and education. After service in the United States Marine Corps (1955-58) Searles worked in consumer goods marketing and in general management positions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Latin America. His business career was interrupted by a brief stint as a high school teacher (1969-71), the Peace Corps experience noted above, and four years as Assistant Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (1976-1980).
 
Following the end of his business career in 1990 Searles earned a Ph. D. from the University of Kentucky (1993), and published two books: A College For Appalachia (1995) and The Peace Corps Experience (1997), both by The University Press of Kentucky.

David and his wife live in Owensboro, Kentucky.