White House Announces Pick for Deputy Director of Peace Corps

The White House Personnel Office announced yesterday that President Obama intends to nominate Carrie Hessler-Radelet as the next Deputy Director of the Peace Corps. Hessler Radelet is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served on the Samoa Islands, from 1981 to 1983. While there she was health volunteer and later served on the Peace Corps Headquarters staff from 1984 to 1986.(Link to White House announcement here.)

Hessler-Radelet has had a distinguished career in international development, focused on public health issues.  Her expertise relates to designing and managing complex development programs in multiple-country settings, with a particular expertise related to HIV/AIDS.  She is currently Vice President of John Snow International, a Boston-based global health research and consulting firm, and has managed JSI’s Washington operations for the past twenty years.  Carrie has the reputation as a highly collegial manager who develops team-based approaches to achieve results.

Williams,the current Peace Corps Director, has worked with Hessler-Radelet in the past when they both served on the National Peace Corps Association Board of Directors. Hessler-Radelet currently serves on the Advisory Council to the NPCA and has remained active in the Peace Corps community including founding the volunteers in international health affinity group.

“Given Peace Corps increasing focus on improving its impact and its growing engagement in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Carrie has a marvelous set of experiences that will complement well the new director’s,” says Kevin Quigley, NPCA’s President.  “Carrie also has the Peace Corps in her DNA, coming from a three-generation Peace Corps family, beginning with her grandmother, Ruth Pearsall (Malaysia) and her aunt, Ginny Kirkwood (Turkey).  Carrie’s husband, Steve Radelet, is also an RPCV.  They served together.”

The Deputy Director is the only other Peace Corps leadership position, besides the director, that requires Senate confirmation. As Deputy Director, Hessler-Radelet will serve as second in command and assist Director Williams with the ambitious agenda of re-invigorating the Peace Corps and enhancing its impact.