Afghanistan
RPCV John Behnke (1971-73) has recently become assistant presiding judge of Mendocino County, California. After his Peace Corps service, he served as deputy district attorney in Mendocino County before working for 21 years in the private practice of Carter, Behnke, Oglesby, and Bacik, specializing in civil law.
Burkina Faso
Joshua Gates (1997-99) was awarded the Woodrow Wilson fellowship, and will attend Western Michigan University as part of a master’s program. Gates taught math in Burkina Faso during his Peace Corps service. He interned at the United States Mission to the United Nations and has a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University in Psychology.
Gabon
Blaine Barrick (1979-81), who served in the Peace Corps in Gabon, is the new president of the Merced Union High School District Teachers’ Association. He has been a French teacher at various high schools for over ten years and has been lauded by many of his peers as a hard worker and a qualified successor as DTA president.
The Gambia
Award winning schoolteacher and former Peace Corps Volunteer Bob Williams (1987-89) is running for lieutenant governor in Alaska. He won the Alaskan Teacher of the Year Award in 2009. He is a strong advocate of funding education, and is currently working toward a PhD in Public Policy and Administration at Walden University.
Francisca Paulete (2003-05), who volunteered with the Peace Corps in The Gambia, was awarded the Outstanding Young Alumni award from Michigan Technological University’s School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. Her accomplishments include her Peace Corps service as well as becoming an environmental coordinator for the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon.
Ghana
RPCV Ken Hackett has been appointed US ambassador to the Vatican. Hackett is the former head of Catholic Relief Services, and is a recipient of Notre Dame University’s Laetare Medal, which celebrates Catholic individuals who show a commitment to service. He has had a long career of service and development, as well as cross-cultural communication.
Honduras
Kelly DeRango (1986-88) was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to study at Western Michigan University. DeRango served in Honduras, and Studied Spanish and Politics at Indiana University before earning her Master’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin, and her PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin.
India
RPCV Tom Wolf is running for Governor of Pennsylvania. He cites his past experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer as an asset to working in office, stating, “I think we’re capable of being a really great state, of doing great things and being a beacon to the rest of the country. To do that, we’re going to need someone who’s had experience of doing different things.” Wolf’s other work experience includes Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue. He is the chairman and CEO of the Wolf Foundation, and holds degrees from Dartmouth, the University of London, and MIT.
Jamaica
Annie Donovan (1987-89) is the new Chief Executive of Coop Metrics, a Washington DC technology company which draws upon technology to solve social issues. She was featured in the Washington Post Business section in an article detailing her career. Donovan has also recently served a term at the White House Office of Social Innovation. Her other accomplishments include heading the New Market Tax Coalition, encouraging private investing, and working for NCB Capital Impact, helping investments in the charter school market.
Mexico
RPCV Daniel Evans of Queretaro, Mexico, was recently named one of University of California Davis’s Distinguished Alumni for his outstanding service. Evans got his start in the Peace Corps, and is currently living in Queretaro with his wife while he serves as the director of 85 volunteers working in technology transfer and resource management. His career has focused mainly on ecology, conservation, and development.
Nepal
Arthur Orr of Alabama (1989-91) has announced his intention to run for a third term as senator of Alabama’s Third Senate District. In addition to Peace Corps, Orr’s overseas service includes working for Humanity International in Bangladesh. Accomplishments during his service as senator include decreasing unemployment and operational costs, as well as passing laws to maximize efficiency and accountability in taxing practices.
Niger
Leslie Natzke (1987-90) recently founded an organization called Expanding Lives, which is dedicated to developing leadership skills in young women in West Africa to empower them to become pillars in their communities. Her service in the Peace Corps inspired this work to increase equality and opportunity for women.
Venezuela
RPCV Alberto Ibarguen, President and CEO of the Knight Foundation, was awarded the Center for Leadership’s Transcendent Leader Award. This award is given to an individual who has made important steps in business leadership and community development. Ibarguen is also a board member at American Airlines, PepsiCo and AOL. After his Peace Corps Experience in Venezuela, Ibarguen became a Peace Corps training officer in Colombia. He will be formally presented the award at the Chapman Leadership Honors on October 3rd.