Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn passes the baton to Chief Executive Officer Dr. Allison Greene

Senior Leadership Transitions at the Agency

Editor’s note: Personnel changes in the senior ranks of the Peace Corps, like those at all federal agencies, are not uncommon after a presidential election, and non-career political appointees are required to submit letters of resignation. As political appointees, Director Carol Spahn, Deputy Director David White, Jr., and others departed the agency at midday on Monday. The Peace Corps community commends and congratulates this leadership team that oversaw the return to service of over 3,000 Peace Corps Volunteers since March 2022. — Glenn A. Blumhorst, Peace Corps Worldwide Managing Editor

January 20 Update From the Peace Corps Agency (announcement on PeaceCorps.gov):

The President of the United States appoints the Peace Corps Director and Deputy Director, and the appointments must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Peace Corps enjoys bipartisan support in Congress. Senators and representatives from both parties have served as Volunteers. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs are charged with general oversight of the activities and programs of the Peace Corps. During administrative transitions, the Peace Corps is led by a chief executive officer or an acting director until a Director is appointed and confirmed.

Dr. Allison Greene, Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Allison Greene

Dr. Allison Greene brings over 30 years of public and private sector experience to the chief executive officer position, including leadership roles in the federal government, international nonprofits, and academia. Most recently, she served as director of the Peace Corps Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support.

Before joining the Peace Corps, Greene held several executive positions at the Department of Defense (DoD) where she oversaw research and policy development on foreign language, regional expertise, and cultural strategy and programs; and guided workforce resilience efforts on sexual assault, suicide, substance abuse, equal opportunity, and wellness for military personnel worldwide. She represented DoD on the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and on the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Forum on Global Violence Prevention. For her impactful work across these portfolios, she received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service.

Before joining DoD, Greene provided strategic direction for two international organizations that focus on youth as the conduit to lasting change— the American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace) and Peace Players International— to promote intercultural understanding and conflict resolution in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. She is also a long-term member of the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Steering Committee and serves as the ILR Culture Committee Co-Chair. Greene, a prior faculty member of Norwich University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Studies, is also a published author and researcher in intercultural competence and diplomatic communications.

Greene earned both her Ph.D. and M.A. in International Studies from Old Dominion University, while concurrently serving as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Dartmouth College. Greene studied French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and American Sign Language, and played basketball professionally in Portugal.

Cheryl Gregory Faye, Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Cheryl Gregory Faye

Cheryl Gregory Faye is the deputy chief executive officer at the Peace Corps. Most recently, Faye served the agency as a senior advisor in the Office of Global Operations, where she has been instrumental in introducing operational efficiencies and contributing to the implementation of the agency’s efforts to reimagine service through alternative service models and benefits.

Previously, Faye served as country director in Senegal from 2014 to 2022, where she oversaw the Peace Corps program, including more than 300 Volunteers and Trainees, and 65 staff. When the Peace Corps evacuated all Volunteers globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was a champion of staff-led community development support, response, and recovery activities, and played a critical role in the agency’s efforts to return Volunteers to overseas service.

Prior to joining the agency, Faye served as head of the global secretariat of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) in New York, a global partnership of governments, civil society, and the private sector. She was also regional education specialist for Plan International covering West and Central Africa, representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in The Gambia, and held other United Nations positions in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia.

Additionally, her professional experience includes non-profit management in New York City, educational planning in Baltimore, and diplomatic service with the U.S. Department of State.

Cheryl holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania; an M.A. in West African area studies from London University; and a post-graduate certificate in public policy and advocacy from Maastricht University of the Netherlands. While in college, she served as a volunteer in rural Ghana for Operation Crossroads Africa.

Cheryl is fluent in French.

See these and other acting senior leadership on the Peace Corps agency’s website.