Peace Corps Community in the News
Week of June 22, 2025.
Former City Manager's Birthday Turns Back Clock on Glory Days, by David Laurell in Burbank Leader | June 22, 2025.
In what can only be described as the equivalence of attending an “Old Timers Day” at a major League Baseball stadium, this past week saw a mustering of former Burbank mayors and municipal department executives going back to the 1980s join family and friends to celebrate the 80th birthday of former Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom (Guatemala 1967-70), who currently serves as a commissioner with the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.
Peter Hessler on China, on The Good Fight | June 23, 2025.
For more than a quarter of a century, Peter Hessler (China 1996-98) has been a staff writer for the New Yorker. In 1996, he joined the Peace Corps and taught English language and literature to college students in Fuling, a small city on the Yangtze River. In 2019, Hessler returned to China, teaching at Sichuan University during the pandemic. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Peter Hessler discuss Peter’s experiences as a teacher in China in the 1990s and in recent years, how his students have changed, and what he thinks the United States could learn from China.
Nathan Richardson, Fintech Professional, Board Member of Grindr: On Finding Your Own, by Fiftyfaces Focus on Podomatic | June 23, 2025.
Our conversation takes a tour through Nathan Richardson’s (Senegal 1993-95) career, and his international exposure which was rich including a stint in the Peace Corps in Africa, and a glittering international career which spanned many countries and cultures. We turn to his time as a founder in Fintech, and what brought him to the Grindr board. We compare the work that Grindr is doing to raise awareness so some of the work Nathan did in the peace corps to spread sexual health awareness.
Patrick Schwarzenegger: ‘White Lotus’ Role & Rising Star, by Sofia Alvarez | June 23, 2025.
Patrick Schwarzenegger’s family legacy extends beyond entertainment and into public service, with his grandfather, Sargent Shriver, founding the Peace Corps and his grandmother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, establishing the Special Olympics. While acknowledging this heritage, Schwarzenegger emphasizes his own desire to contribute in his own way.
Aimee Parnell excited to lead Greater Falls Regional Chamber, by Susan Smallheer in Brattleboro Reformer | June 23, 2025.
Aimee Parnell (Gabon 2003-05) has been on the job at the Waypoint Center for about a month, and her enthusiasm is palpable. Parnell, 49, a Springfield resident, sees the Bellows Falls region with fresh eyes and she likes what she sees as the new executive director of the Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce. She said she and her husband did a nationwide search of where they wanted to live and raise their son, and picked Vermont, and a brick colonial home in Springfield sealed the deal.
The 25 Most Patriotic States in the U.S, by CaLea Johnson in Mental Floss | June 24, 2025.
Which states are the most devoted to the red, white, and blue? The ranking below is based on voting, military service, and volunteering. Vermont rounds out the top three most patriotic states in the nation. The state’s civic engagement level is the highest in the country, with the most Peace Corps volunteers per capita and the nation’s second-highest volunteer rate.
Meet Tellus, the FoCo Company That Gives Back 100 Percent of Its Profits, by Courtney Holden in 5280 | June 25, 2025.
When their assignments with the Peace Corps concluded in 2000, the Joe (Dominican Republic 1998-2000) and Melissa (Haiti 1998-2000) Basta soon settled in Fort Collins, drawn primarily by the state’s reputation as an outdoor playground. Joe worked in retail food manufacturing for 20 years, eventually selling his business to a Fortune 25 company. That 2019 payout gave the Bastas enough financial cushion to dream of doing something good for the world on a bigger scale. “After living in places like Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where you can see the impact of what climate change is doing,” Melissa says, “we just knew if we were going to start [a business], then we had to do it differently.”
Education For Employment (EFE) Promotes Abbey Walsh to Senior Education & Training Manager, on Education for Employment News | June 25, 2025.
EFE is pleased to announce the promotion of Abbey Walsh (Morocco 2014-17) to the role of Senior Education & Training Manager. Known for her passion and creativity, Abbey has been a driving force in EFE's mission to empower youth through hands-on employment-focused training. In this expanded role, Abbey will continue to leverage her extensive expertise in adult learning pedagogy, human-centered design, and participatory approaches.
Reflecting on lessons learned at prior jobs: Meet Emily Fanjoy (Guatemala 2008-10), in Canvas Rebel | June 25, 2025.
Fresh out the Peace Corps doing development work, I returned to the states and got a job at a community non-profit that provided advocacy services to survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence. I went from one intense job to another, but the training I got for advocacy made my brain blow up a little bit. The most important thing, I was told during training, was to never tell someone what to do, because each person is the expert in their own experience—they’re the only one who can know what the right choice is for themselves in a given moment.
The unofficial guide to Togo based on 4 Volunteers' experiences, in PeaceCorps.gov | June 25, 2025.
Whether you just applied or received your acceptance letter to serve in Togo, you may be wondering what life is like in this West African nation. Four Volunteers share what they’ve learned since entering on duty. Before you devour every Peace Corps memoir or service story from family friends, be mindful that this “research” doesn’t impact your ability to be open-minded or adaptable—a vital skill for service.
Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary turned acclaimed TV journalist, dead at 91, by The Associated Press, in NPR.org | June 26, 2025.
Bill Moyers (Peace Corps Headquarters 1961-63), the former White House press secretary who became one of television's most honored journalists, masterfully using a visual medium to illuminate a world of ideas, died Thursday at age 91. Moyers' career ranged from youthful Baptist minister to deputy director of the Peace Corps, from Johnson's press secretary to newspaper publisher, senior news analyst for "The CBS Evening News" and chief correspondent for "CBS Reports."
A $225,000 gift establishes the Charles Anderson Penton STEM Scholarship Endowment, in University of West Florida Newsroom | June 26, 2025.
A $225,000 gift from the Penton Family has established the Charles Anderson Penton STEM Scholarship Endowment for Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering students. Through his estate, the late Carl Penton left the gift in memory of his father, Charles Penton, a devoted advocate for higher education who found great joy in the sciences.
A Returned Volunteer receives a chief’s welcome in Cameroon, by John G. Robinson in PeaceCorps.gov | June 26, 2025.
John Robinson (Cameroon 1995-97) returned to Bamendjou, Cameroon after nearly 30 years with his wife and son to visit Fo'o Sokoudjou Jean Rameau, one of the country's longest-serving Bamiléké chiefs who had given him the traditional name "Soh Feuguong" when he taught English there. The chief welcomed them with extraordinary hospitality including traditional ceremonies, a tour of his centuries-old compound and museum, and an elaborate lunch, while the author reflected on the lasting impact of service as he saw his former students now grown into successful professionals and trees planted by his old Friends of Nature Club still standing—symbolizing how the seeds of commitment and friendship continue to grow across decades.
A novel retirement plan: Jonathan Lash’s debut work of fiction, ‘What Death Revealed,’ draws from his time as an attorney in 1970s D.C., by Tinky Weisblat in Daily Hampshire Gazette | June 27, 2025.
Jonathan Lash (Dominican Republic 1967-69) of Northampton has had a fascinating life. He has been a Peace Corps volunteer, a practicing attorney, an environmental advocate, and a president of Hampshire College. In his retirement, he has taken on a new career as a novelist. His debut work of fiction, “What Death Revealed” (Austin Macauley Publishers, 378 pages, $23.95), is a historical work set in the District of Columbia in the mid-1970s.
Register Your Interest in Becoming a Flagbearer at the 2025 Parade of Nations, in PeaceCorps.gov | June 28, 2025.
On September 16, the Washington Nationals will host Peace Corps Night at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. During the pre-game activities, there will be a Parade of Nations to honor the collaborative impact and enduring friendships of the global Peace Corps network. Friends, family, and staff as well as future, current, and returned Volunteers are invited to be a part of this Parade of Nations tradition by carrying a flag of one of the 144 countries where Peace Corps Volunteers have lived and worked.