From Tunisia as a Peace Corps Volunteer to Washington as the Director of the Peace Corps, Dr. Jody Olsen presents an insider’s view of this national treasure.
Olsen’s diverse career spanned the Peace Corps and being a Professor at the University of Maryland. Her first interaction with the Peace Corps was as a Volunteer in Tunisia, shortly after graduating from College. She held multiple different management positions, culminating in worldwide Peace Corps Director under the first Trump administration. Olsen was a hands-on manager, who was in a position to understand first hand observations through interactions with thousands of Volunteers and many foreign leaders.
Olsen will discuss the value Peace Corps provides to the people in so many countries around the world, the impact the experiences have on the Volunteers, and how those Volunteers are enriched themselves to be better citizens of the US and the world. Olsen will also discuss how the Peace Corps operates within the US government and how it achieves its objectives. She will also share her experience of steering the Peace Corps through Covid, including the withdrawal of all 7,000 volunteers.
Olsen will be in conversation with Vail Symposium Chair Emeritus Dale Mosier, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer and Country Director under Olsen.
Recommended reading available at The Bookworm in Edwards:
“A Million Miles: My Peace Corps Journey” by Jody Olsen
