Peace Corps Community in the News
Week of March 23, 2025.
Nonprofit grows to 200 staff with mission to combat health disparities, by Debbie Funk, in Baltimore Business Journal | March 21, 2025.
In 2000, Traci Kodeck (Eastern Caribbean 1994-96) accepted a job at a small Baltimore nonprofit as a way to move back home. What she didn’t know was that she would rise from an ombudsman for pregnant and postpartum women to lead what is now HealthCare Access Maryland, or HCAM, which connects low-income people to insurance plans, health care providers and community resources.
Commentary: An Ethiopian girl’s war story taught me the gritty value of USAID, by Dr. James Dobson (Gabon 1978-80) in the Columbia Missourian | March 21, 2025.
On one visit, a high school girl, younger than my daughter, told me of how she was gang raped by youth militia from another ethnic group just because she was not of their ethnicity. Tears streamed down her face, and mine, but she mostly asked, “Why me?” Other victims in the room, young girls and old women, told similar stories of assault, destruction and the disappearance of sons, brothers and husbands. USAID offered the young girl and all her fellow noncombatants protection, shelter, food, counseling and hope.
Ward to retire from state House, by Michael Tsai, in Spectrum News | March 22, 2025.
State Rep. Gene Ward (North Borneo 1965-67; East Timor Country Director 2004-05), the longest-tenured Republican currently active in the Hawaii State Legislature, will retire at the end of the current session due to unspecified ongoing health concerns. A Vietnam veteran and former Peace Corps country director for East Timor, Ward entered politics as a representative for House District 16 from 1990 to 1998.
Beaver Creek grad among Department of Education workers whose jobs were eliminated, by Eileen McClory in Press Reader | March 23, 2025.
“It’s pretty devastating because I loved my job,” Sydney Leiher (Morocco 2018-20) said. “I really believed in what my role was and I love my coworkers. Everyone was extremely hard working and amazing at their job.” She said it was especially hurtful to hear rhetoric about how people being cut were bad at their jobs. She said her performance reviews were great and so were those of the co-workers let go.
Federleins to be honored as Community Chest of Port’s ‘Citizens of the Year’, by Connor Patton in Long Island Press | March 24, 2025.
Jerry (Nigeria 1965-67) and Nancy Federlein have made countless improvements to the Port Washington community through their volunteer service at organizations, including the Port Jewish Center, Community Chest of Port Washington, Landmark on Main Street, Port Soccer Club and the Job Seekers Network. Before moving to Port Washington, the Federleins met across the globe in Eastern Nigeria in 1966. Jerry Federlein was on a mission with the Peace Corps while his future wife, Nancy Smith, was on a similar mission with the Voluntary Service Overseas for Great Britain.
Reed Hastings Gives Bowdoin College $50 Million, Its Largest Gift Ever, by Michael T. Nietzel, in Forbes | March 24, 2025.
Netflix Cofounder Reed Hastings (Swaziland 1983-85) has given Bowdoin College a $50 million gift. The donation is the largest in the institution’s 231-year history and will be used to create the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity. The funding will be used initially to: hire 10 new faculty members in a range of disciplines; support current faculty seeking to incorporate AI in their teaching, research, and artistic work; fund conversations about the uses and challenges of AI in the form of workshops, symposia, and support for student research.
Jeni Arndt won't run for third term as Fort Collins mayor, by Rebecca Powell in the Fort Collins Coloradoan | March 24, 2025.
Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Arndt (Morocco 1990-92) won't be running for another term, she confirmed to the Coloradoan on Monday. Arndt was first elected as mayor in April 2021, so when her term is up in January 2026, she will have served more than five years, just shy of the term limit for a Fort Collins mayor, which is six years divided into three two-year terms. Before she was in public office, Arndt worked as an ESL and special education teacher, principal and university faculty member.
The impact of Eunice Kennedy Shriver's children on service and social causes, by Night Mongina, in Legit | March 24, 2025.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s children have continued her legacy of helping others. They are involved in important social causes like supporting people with disabilities, fighting for human rights, and promoting education. Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband, Sargent Shriver, had five children: Robert Sargent Shriver III, Maria, Timothy, Mark, and Anthony. Like their mother, they have made a big impact on many lives through advocacy, charity, and leadership.
Mercer Island resident revisits her vital work in Afghanistan, By Andy Nystrom in Mercer Island Reporter | March 25, 2025.
A timeline of Suzanne Griffin’s (Afghanistan 1968-70) life work overseas begins when she and her husband, Michael, were a Peace Corps field team in Afghanistan (he had previously completed a Peace Corps tour in Iran). In 1978, the couple and their two young daughters, Sarah and Rachael, relocated for education and housing department work in Iran, but were soon evacuated at the start of the Iranian Revolution. And in 2002, she returned to Afghanistan to lead projects in health, education and higher education.
AACUC Announces 2025 Maurice R. Smith Leadership Award Recipients, in CU Broadcast | March 25, 2025.
The African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) has named its 2025 Maurice R. Smith Leadership Award recipients, who will be honored during the 2025 AACUC Annual Conference on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Joe Thomas (Malawi 1985-87), President/CEO of NextMark Credit Union in Fairfax, VA, has served the credit union community for nearly 40 years. Since 1999, he has led NextMark in delivering accessible financial services to local government employees and community members, with a focus on the needs of low- and moderate-income households.
Peace Corps Announces 2024 Top Volunteer-Producing States, on PeaceCorps.gov | March 25, 2025.
“Every day, Americans from across our nation serve abroad as Peace Corps volunteers, sharing themselves and their skills and perspectives with the communities they work alongside,” said Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer Allison Greene. “There is worldwide demand for Peace Corps volunteers, which is a testament to our unique model of people-to-people diplomacy, the value of our volunteers’ work and our success as a low-cost, high return-on-investment agency serving America’s core national interests.”
Here’s to Ryan Gruver, Local Point Man for Medicaid Recipients, by Timothy May in Yubanet | March 25, 2025.
Fortunately for our county, Ryan Gruver (Dominica 2003-05) has the experience and expertise needed to keep Health and Human Services afloat during the turbulent fiscal and political storms ahead. Raised in Nevada County, a graduate of Nevada Union High School, Ryan received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in 2001, then served two years in the Peace Corps, where he discovered, like so many other government workers, that helping people in need was his calling. “On the small island nation of Dominica, I discovered my passion: making a difference for people in need.”
Sunaree Marshall to lead King County’s HCD efforts, in Northwest Asian Weekly | March 25, 2025.
The King County Department of Community and Human Services has appointed Sunaree Marshall (Mongolia 2005-08) as the new division director for Housing and Community Development (HCD). Marshall joined HCD in 2019 and served as deputy director in 2022. She helped manage $425 million in funding for affordable housing initiatives. She has over a decade of experience in federal housing and community development work.
Editorial: In earnest defense of USAID, by Robert S. Mergenthaler (Lesotho 1996-98) in The Tribune Chronicle | March 26, 2025.
This agency isn’t some faceless government spending spree as the DOGE team and President Trump have been touting. It’s American leadership at its best. USAID has been the face of American goodness for over 60 years, responding to crises in countries completely destabilized and unable to respond sufficiently or even at all. Every dollar invested in humanitarian aid saves us 10 in military intervention. More than that, USAID contracts with American farmers, American businesses, and American workers — people right here in Ohio who depend on these programs to put food on their own tables.
Rotary to host Food Security Summit on Thursday, by Jenna Blount in Clinton Herald | March 26, 2025.
Each Rotary Club of Clinton president takes on a project during their one year term in the role. The summit, being Carrie Donaire’s (Nicaragua 2003-05) presidential project, was inspired by time she spent in the Peace Corps. In 2003, the Peace Corps invited her to an agriculture program in the developing Central American country. “That was my first exposure to the world of food insecurity,” she said, “helping to understand families and what they’re going through, and especially when the children are in an area where they’re malnourished or not able to find drinkable water.”
Veteran of the Week – Kevin Egan, by John Chubb, in The Island News | March 26, 2025.
American Legion Beaufort Post 207 brings you Kevin Egan (Paraguay 1974-76), who, in 1972 graduated from the Citadel, joined the United States Air Force in Charleston. After Basic Training at Lackland AFB, Texas, he attended Emergency Medical Service (EMS) training at Shepherd AFB and honed his skills at Naval Hospital Charleston in the intensive care unit. He was then released to the Peace Corps and served in Paraguay.
Beaumont 'science cafe' to focus on local snakes, by Mary Catherine Johnston, on LMT Online | March 26, 2025.
Tim Pylate (Ukraine 1996-98) has been at the helm of Armand Bayou Nature Center since 2018. Hailing from Pearland, Texas, he has more than 25 years of experience working with nonprofits in the United States and around the world, including the former Soviet Union, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Additionally, he spent several years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. He is a triathlete, a lifelong lover of the natural world and the outdoors, and is an avid herpetology enthusiast.
'A crisis moment': New Politics launches $20 million push to recruit service-oriented candidates, By Bridget Bowman on NBC News | March 27, 2025.
Rep. Pat Ryan, an Army veteran, said he would not be in Congress without support from New Politics, which was founded in 2014 to recruit candidates with military and service backgrounds, including Peace Corps and AmeriCorps alums, and help them navigate the ins and outs of running for office. Ryan said the new crop of candidates could include federal workers and others who have been affected by the Trump administration’s effort to drastically reduce the size of the federal government.
“I’m Very Proud Because Now I’m A Powerful Woman”: How The High Atlas Foundation Is Transforming The Lives Of Moroccan Women, by Jane Hanson in Forbes | March 27, 2025.
Founded in 2000 by Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir (Morocco 1993-95; Associate Director 1998-99), a former Peace Corps volunteer turned development leader, the High Atlas Foundation is a nonprofit headquartered in Morocco. Its mission is to improve the lives of Morocco’s most underserved populations by enabling them to identify their own development priorities—and then working together to make them a reality.
Opinion: 'Face of American goodness.' USAID needs to be preserved, by Robert S. Mergenthaler (Lesotho 1996-98) in The Alliance Review | March 28, 2025.
This agency isn’t some faceless government spending spree as the DOGE team and Donald Trump have been touting. It’s American leadership at its best. USAID has been the face of American goodness for over 60 years, responding to crises in countries completely destabilized and unable to respond sufficiently or even at all. Every dollar invested in humanitarian aid saves us $10 in military intervention.
Reshape our relationship with rest, by Anand Raj O. K. in Gulf News | March 28, 2025.
Rest, Tricia Harvey (Morocco 2018-19) realized, was a way of breaking free; a spiritual practice and a form of healing. Her time in Morocco during a stint with the Peace Corps reinforced this understanding. She witnessed how the culture valued rest, with afternoon siestas shutting down life from 1 to 4pm. “At first, it felt strange,” she recalls, with a laugh. “But then I began to appreciate the beauty of it; the family time, the slower pace. It was a revelation.” Thus, the Nap Ministry was born…
