List of Peace Corps volunteers
This is a list of notable people who have served as volunteers in the Peace Corps. Countries and dates of service are included where they are stated by the cited source. Each volunteer is listed only once.
Activism and aid
- Elaine Jones, American civil-rights attorney and former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Turkey 1965–1967)[1]
- Molly Melching, American activist and founder of Tostan (Senegal 1976–1979)[2]
- Carl Pope, former executive director of the Sierra Club (India 1968–1969)[3]
Art and architecture
- Martin Puryear, American sculptor (Sierra Leone 1964–1966)[4]
- Joel Shapiro, American sculptor (India 1965–1967)[5]
Business
- Patricia Cloherty, American venture capitalist and former deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (Brazil 1963–1965)[6]
- Bob Haas, former chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. (Côte d'Ivoire 1964–1966)[7]
- Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix (Swaziland 1983–1985)[7]
- Alberto Ibargüen, former president and CEO of the Knight Foundation (Venezuela 1966–1968)[8][9]
- Michael McCaskey, American sports executive and former chairman of the Chicago Bears (Ethiopia 1965–1967)[10]
Education
- Allan Gibbard, American philosopher and professor emeritus at the University of Michigan (Ghana 1963–1965)[11]
- Charles R. Larson, American literary scholar (Nigeria 1962–1964)[3]
- Suzanne Preston Blier, American art historian and Harvard University professor (Benin 1969–1971)[12]
- Bruce Cumings, American historian and professor at the University of Chicago (South Korea 1967–1969)[3]
- Robert H. Frank, American economist and professor at Cornell University (Nepal 1966–1968)[13]
- Guy Consolmagno, American astronomer, Jesuit brother, and Director Emeritus of the Vatican Observatory (Kenya 1983–1985)[14]
- William G. Moseley, American geographer and professor at Macalester College (Mali 1987–1989)[15]
Government
Cabinet-level officials
- Donna Shalala, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former U.S. representative (Iran 1962–1964)[16]
Executive branch
- Drew S. Days III, former Solicitor General of the United States and former Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division (Honduras 1967–1969)[17]
- Kathy Kraninger, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Ukraine)[18]
- Robert Pastor, American public-policy scholar and former National Security Council staff member (Malaysia 1970–1972)[3]
Foreign service
- Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, former U.S. Ambassador to Malta (Oman 1980–1982)[19]
- Charles C. Adams Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Finland (Kenya 1968–1970)[19]
- Angela P. Aggeler, former U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia (Central African Republic)[19]
- Frank Almaguer, former U.S. Ambassador to Honduras (Belize 1967–1969)[19]
- Michael R. Arietti, former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda (India 1969–1971)[19]
- Larry Edward André Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti and Mauritania (Senegal 1983–1985)[19]
- Robert Blackwill, former U.S. Ambassador to India (Malawi 1964–1966)[19]
- Julia Chang Bloch, former U.S. Ambassador to Nepal (Malaysia 1964–1966)[19]
- Richard Boucher, American diplomat and former deputy secretary-general of the OECD (Senegal 1973–1975)[19]
- Peter Burleigh, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives (Nepal 1963–1965)[19]
- Johnnie Carson, former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda (Tanzania 1965–1968)[19]
- Michael Corbin, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (Mauritania 1982–1984)[19]
- Joseph R. Donovan Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia (Korea 1973–1975)[19]
- Robert S. Gelbard, former U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia and Bolivia (Bolivia 1964–1966)[19]
- Gordon Gray III, former U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia (Morocco 1978–1980)[19]
- Robert E. Gribbin III, former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda and the Central African Republic (Kenya 1968–1970)[19]
- Ken Hackett, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See (Ghana 1968–1971)[19]
- Christopher R. Hill, former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Iraq, South Korea, Poland, and Macedonia (Cameroon 1974–1976)[19]
- Vicki Huddleston, former U.S. Ambassador to Mali and Madagascar (Peru 1964–1966)[19]
- Edmund Hull, former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen (Tunisia 1971–1973)[19]
- Darryl N. Johnson, former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and Lithuania (Thailand 1962–1965)[19]
- John Limbert, former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania (Iran 1964–1966)[19]
- Donald Lu, American diplomat, former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and Albania (Sierra Leone 1988–1990)[19]
- Michael A. McCarthy, former U.S. Ambassador to Liberia (Togo 1983–1985)[19]
- Larry L. Palmer, former U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and Honduras (Liberia 1971–1973)[19]
- Jonathan Pratt, former U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti (Guinea-Bissau)[19]
- Stephen Schwartz, former U.S. Ambassador to Somalia (Cameroon 1981–1983)[19]
- Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea (South Korea 1975–1977)[19]
- J. Christopher Stevens, former U.S. Ambassador to Libya (Morocco 1983–1985)[19]
- Victor L. Tomseth, former U.S. Ambassador to Laos (Nepal 1964–1965)[19]
- Mark Toner, former U.S. Ambassador to Liberia and former U.S. Department of State spokesperson (Liberia 1986–1989)[19]
- Eric P. Whitaker, former U.S. Ambassador to Niger (Philippines 1980–1982)[19]
- Pamela White, former U.S. Ambassador to Haiti and the Gambia (Cameroon 1971–1973)[19]
- Kent Wiedemann, former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia (Micronesia 1967–1969)[19]
Law
- Daniel Foley, former judge of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals and associate justice of the Supreme Court of Palau (Lesotho)[20]
- Jim Gray, American jurist and writer (Costa Rica 1966–1968)[21]
Municipal and local officials
- Kitty Piercy, former mayor of Eugene, Oregon (Ethiopia 1964–1966)[22]
- Joe Serna Jr., American politician and former mayor of Sacramento, California (Guatemala 1966–1968)[23]
Peace Corps directors
- Carol Spahn, 21st Director of the Peace Corps (Romania 1994–1996)[24]
- Jody Olsen, 20th Director of the Peace Corps (Tunisia 1966–1968)[24]
- Carrie Hessler-Radelet, 19th Director of the Peace Corps (Western Samoa 1981–1983)[24]
- Aaron S. Williams, 18th Director of the Peace Corps (Dominican Republic 1967–1970)[24]
- Ron Tschetter, 17th Director of the Peace Corps (India 1966–1968)[24]
- Mark Schneider, 15th Director of the Peace Corps (El Salvador 1966–1968)[24]
- Carol Bellamy, 13th Director of the Peace Corps (Guatemala 1963–1965)[24]
Governors
State legislators
- Jason Carter, former Georgia state senator (South Africa 1998–2000)[25]
U.S. senators
- Christopher Dodd, former U.S. Senator from Connecticut (Dominican Republic 1966–1968)[26]
- Paul Tsongas, former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (Ethiopia 1962–1964)[27]
U.S. representatives
- Steve Driehaus, former U.S. Representative from Ohio (Senegal 1988–1990)[28]
- Sam Farr, former U.S. Representative from California (Colombia 1964–1966)[26]
- John Garamendi, U.S. Representative from California (Ethiopia 1966–1968)[28]
- Tony P. Hall, former U.S. Representative from Ohio and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture (Thailand 1966–1967)[7]
- Mike Honda, former U.S. Representative from California (El Salvador 1965–1967)[26]
- Joe Kennedy III, former U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (Dominican Republic 2004–2006)[29]
- Thomas Petri, former U.S. Representative from Wisconsin (Somalia 1966–1967)[26]
- Christopher Shays, former U.S. Representative from Connecticut (Fiji 1968–1970)[26]
- James Walsh, former U.S. Representative from New York (Nepal 1970–1972)[26]
Journalists
- Leon Dash, American journalist and Pulitzer Prize recipient (Kenya 1969–1970)[30]
- Peter Hessler, American writer and journalist (China 1996–1998)[3]
- Maureen Orth, American journalist and author (Colombia 1964–1966)[2]
- Tony D'Souza, American novelist and journalist (Ivory Coast 2000–2002; Madagascar 2002–2003)[31]
- George Packer, American journalist, novelist, and playwright (Togo 1982–1983)[3]
Literature and non-fiction
- Bob Shacochis, American novelist and journalist (Eastern Caribbean 1975–1976)[32]
- Paul Theroux, American novelist and travel writer (Malawi 1963–1965)[33]
- Moritz Thomsen, American writer (Ecuador 1965–1967)[3]
- Richard Wiley, American novelist and PEN/Faulkner Award recipient (South Korea 1967–1969)[3]
Science and medicine
- Joseph M. Acaba, American educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut (Dominican Republic 1994–1996)[34]
- Lillian Carter, American nurse and mother of President Jimmy Carter (India 1966–1968)[35]
Television, film, theater, and radio
- Chris Matthews, American political commentator, television host, and author (Swaziland 1968–1970)[7]
- Taylor Hackford, American film director and producer (Bolivia 1968–1969)[36]
- Bob Vila, American television host (Panama)[37]
See also
References
- ↑ "Jones, Elaine Ruth". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 "Peace Corps Celebrates Women's History Month". Peace Corps. 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Peace Corps Authors Bibliography: Author List". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Martin Puryear". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Joel Shapiro". Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Senate Resolution J5606-2013: Honoring Patricia M. Cloherty". New York State Senate. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Peace Corps Fact Sheet 2005" (PDF). Peace Corps. 2005-10-19. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Inter-American Foundation Nomination of Four Members of the Board of Directors". The American Presidency Project. 1978-05-09. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Knight Foundation taps news media trailblazer Maribel Pérez Wadsworth as new president and CEO". Knight Foundation. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Clinton Seeks 50% Hike in Ranks of Peace Corps". Los Angeles Times. 1998-01-04. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "2005–2006 Lecture Series: Allan Gibbard". Tanner Lectures on Human Values, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Curriculum Vitae: Suzanne Preston Blier" (PDF). Harvard University. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Robert H. Frank". Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Br. Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J." Vatican Observatory. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "EnviroThursday Fall 2006". Macalester College. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Peace Corps Welcomes 26 New University Partners to its Masters International Program". Peace Corps. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Hamilton Opens New Center and Names It For Two Trustees". Hamilton College. 2010-11-08. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Kathy Kraninger, Arts '97". Marquette University. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 "Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Turned Ambassador". American Foreign Service Association. 2026-04-21. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Associate Judge Daniel Foley Receives HSBA's 2016 Ki'e Ki'e Award". Hawaii State Judiciary. 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Grey Matters: Judge James P. Gray (Ret.) Celebrates Life and Liberty". Orange County Bar Association. February 2020. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "U.S. Mayors Pass Resolution to Support Peace Corps". Peace Corps. 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "The Peace Corps Mourns Death of Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna, Who Served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala from 1966-68". Peace Corps. 1999-11-08. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Past Peace Corps Directors". Peace Corps. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Bibliography by Author: C — Carter, Jason". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Peace Corps Presents Awards to Members of Congress". Peace Corps. 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "TSONGAS, Paul Efthemios". U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- 1 2 "Former Peace Corps Volunteer John Garamendi Sworn in as United States Congressman". Peace Corps. 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Congressman Joe Kennedy III speaks at Peace Corps headquarters". Peace Corps. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Leon Dash". Department of African American Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "D'Souza, Tony". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Bibliography by Author: S — Shacochis, Bob". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Bibliography by Author: T — Theroux, Paul". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "First Returned Peace Corps Volunteer in Space Speaks at Peace Corps". Peace Corps. 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Carter Family". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Hackford, Taylor 1944(?)–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Foundation Interviews: Bob Vila". Television Academy. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
External links
- Peace Corps official website
- Peace Corps Authors Bibliography — Library of Congress
Categories: