List of returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) are persons who have served in the United States Peace Corps. Here follows a lst of notable RPCVs. Dynamic list

Business and Industry

* Bob Beckel, political analyst, Bob Beckel & Associates (Philippines 1971-72)

* Heather Buckmaster, executive director, Oklahoma Beef Council (The Gambia 1992-94)

* Dan Chance, manager of Wasatch Micro Cap Fund (Paraguay)

* Charlie Clifford, founder, Tumi luggage (Peru 1967-1969)

* Patricia Cloherty, chairman of The U.S. Russia Investment Fund (Brazil 1963-65)

* Edward Dolby, president, Bank of America, Carolinas (India 1966-68)

* John Earhart, chairman of the board and a founding shareholder of Global Environment Fund Management Corporation (Guatemala 1975-77)

* David S. Geiman, chairman of the executive committee, board of directors, president and chief executive officer of the CattleSale Company (Sierra Leone 1967-70)

* Samuel Gillespie III, senior vice president, Exxon Mobil Corp. (Kenya 1967-69)

* Jan Guifarro, World Wide Director of Global Consumer Affairs for the Colgate Palmolive Company (Honduras 1973-75)

* Frank Guzzetta, CEO of Hecht's (India 1968-72)

* Robert Haas, chairman of board for Levi Strauss (Ivory Coast 1964-66)

* Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix (Swaziland 1983-85)

* Wilber James, CEO of Citizens Power (Kenya 1971-72)

* Ginny Kirkwood, owner of Shawnee on the Delaware Inn and Resort (Turkey 1964-66, and Thailand 1990-93)

* James Kouzes, president of Tom Peters Group (Turkey 1967-69)

* Michael McCaskey, chairman of the board, Chicago Bears (Ethiopia 1965-67)

* Robert McCormack, executive vice president of Citicorp (Colombia 1968-70)

* Ann and Michael Moore, former CEO and chairman of Snugli Co. and Airlift Company (Togo 1962-64)

* Frederic Poses, CEO of American Standard Co. (Peru 1967-1969)

* Gordon Radley, president of Lucasfilms Ltd. (Malawi 1968-70)

* Dwight A. Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Rice Producers Association (Paraguay 1977-80)

* Tom Scanlon, president of Benchmarks (Chile 1961-63)

* Kathy Tierney, CEO of Sur La Table (Fiji 1967-69)

* Priscilla Wrubel, founder of the Nature Company (Liberia 1961-63)

Arts & Literature

* Edmund Blair Bolles, author of A Second Way of Knowing (Tanzania 1966-68)

* Catherine Bowman, author of Rock Farm and 1-800-HOT-RIBS; recipient of Peregrine Smith Poetry Prize (Niger 1984-86)

* Mark Brazaitis, author of River of Lost Voices: Stories from Guatemala (Guatemala 1990-93)

* Broughton Coburn, author of Everest: Mountain Without Mercy (Nepal 1976-78)

* Richard "Kinky" Friedman, author of Blast From the Past (Malaysia 1967-69)

* Taylor Hackford, movie producer of Ray, An Officer and a Gentleman; and The Devil's Advocate (Bolivia 1968-69)

* Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong (Turkey 1966-68)

* Susana Herrera, author of Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin; contributor to Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul: Stories to Celebrate the Spirit of Courage, Caring and Commitment (Cameroon 1992-94)

* Peter Hessler, author of River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (China 1996-97)

* Lawrence Leamer, author of The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family (Nepal 1965-67)

* Peter Lefcourt, television writer and author of The Woody (Togo 1962-64)

* Leonard Levitt, reporter for Newsday and author of An African Season (Tanzania 1963-65)

* Phillip Margolin, author of Gone, But Not Forgotten; and The Burning Man (Liberia 1962-64)

* Martin Puryear, sculptor (Sierra Leone 1964-66)

* Robert D. Mowry, Dworsky Curator of Chinese Arts at Harvard (Korea 1967-69)

* Bob Shacochis, author of Easy in the Island, winner of the American Book Award (Eastern Caribbean 1975-76)

* Joel Shapiro, sculptor (India 1965-67)

* Mildred Taylor, author of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, winner of Newbery Award (Ethiopia 1965-67)

* Paul Theroux, author of Mosquito Coast and Great Railway Bazaar (Malawi 1963-65)

* Moritz Thomsen, author of "Living Poor" (Ecuador 1963 - 65)

* Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, author of An American Killing, Girls of Tender Age, and most recently, Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery (Cameroon 1965-67)

* Annabelle Townson, author of We Wait For You (Romania 2001-2003)

* Richard Wiley, author of Ahmed's Revenge and Soldiers in Hiding, winner of PEN/Faulkner Award (Korea 1967-69)

Communications

* Ron Arias, senior editor for People magazine and author of The Road to Tamazunchale (Peru 1963-64)

* David Briscoe, chief correspondent of World Desk for Associated Press (Philippines 1966-70)

* Dan Carney, reporter for Business Week (Benin 1983-85)

* Karen DeWitt, producer, abcnews.com (Ethiopia 1966-68)

* Thomas Dine, President, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Philippines 1962-64)

* Judy Dugan, assistant editorial page editor for the Los Angeles Times (Philippines 1966-68)

* Josh Friedman, correspondent for Newsday (Costa Rica 1964-66)

* Kathleen Ingley, reporter for the Arizona Republic (Senegal 1972-75)

* Al Kamen, writes In the Loop column in the Washington Post (Dominican Republic 1967-69)

* Robert Laird, op-ed page editor for N.Y. Daily News (Somalia 1962-63)

* Michael Maidenberg, Pulitzer prize-winning publisher and vice president and chief program officer of the Knight Foundation (India 1964-66)

* Chris Matthews, host of NBC's Hardball (Swaziland 1968-70)

* Jim Morrill, reporter for the Charlotte Observer (Togo 1973-76)

* Bruce Nussbaum, editorial page editor for Business Week (Philippines 1966-69)

* Henry Muller, editorial director for Time, Inc. (Ethiopia 1968-69)

* Maureen Orth, special correspondent for Vanity Fair (Colombia 1964-66)

* Ann O'Hanlon, reporter for the Washington Post (Ecuador 1986-88)

* Michelle Press, managing editor for Scientific American (Malawi 1962-64)

* Howard Seftel, restaurant critic for the Arizona Republic (Senegal 1972-75)

* Peter Stinton, enterprise senior writer for the San Francisco Chronicle (Iran 1969-1971)

* Jonathan Weisman, White House correspondent for the Baltimore Sun (Guinea-Bissau and Philippines 1988-90)

* William Wong, columnist for the San Francisco Examiner (Philippines 1967-68)

Non-Profit and Development

* Lillian Baer, founder of Africa Consultants International/Baobab Center (Cote d'Ivoire 1966-68)

* Carol Bellamy, president of World Learning (Guatemala 1963-1965)

* Meg Garlinghouse, Senior Director, Yahoo! for Good (Niger 1990-92)

* Rev. Gerald Durley, president of Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta (Nigeria 1964-66)

* Gary Engelberg, founder of Africa Consultants International/Baobab Center (Senegal 1965-67)

* Barbara Ferris, president and founder, International Women's Democracy Center (Morocco 1980-82)

* Ken Hackett, president, Catholic Relief Services (Ghana 1968-1971)

* Alberto Ibarguen, president, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Venezuela 1966-68)

* Elaine Jones, director-counsel and president, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Turkey 1965-67)

* Nancy Kelly, executive director, Health Volunteers Overseas (Korea 1979-81)

* Jonathan Lash, president of World Resources Institute (Dominican Republic 1967-69)

* Jerry Leach, president of the World Affairs Councils of America (Turkey 1964-66)

* Marianne Leach, public policy and government relations director, CARE (Turkey 1964-66)

* Arlene Mitchell, chief of school feeding support, United Nations World Food Programme (Niger 1973-76)

* Fred O'Regan, executive director of International Fund for Animal Welfare (Swaziland 1970-71)

* Carl Pope, executive director of Sierra Club (India 1967-69)

* Kevin Quigley, president of National Peace Corps Association (Thailand 1976-79)

* Mark Schneider, senior vice president of International Crisis Group (El Salvador 1966-68)

* Tony Silard, founder of Global Education Partnership (Kenya 1990-92)

* Dane Smith, former president of National Peace Corps Association; former ambassador to Senegal and Guinea (Ethiopia 1963-65)

* Gordon Smith, chairman of Children's Museum About the World (India 1966-69)

* Thomas Tighe, president and CEO, Direct Relief International (Thailand 1986-88)

Government

* Harry Birnholz, mission director, USAID/Albania (Benin 1974-77)

* Patricia Buckles, USAID/Peru director, Peace Corps (Guatemala 1973-77)

* Donald B. Clark, USAID mission director, Senegal (Burkina Faso 1969-71)

* Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator, Connecticut (Dominican Republic 1966-68)

* Jim Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin and wife Jessica Doyle (Tunisia 1967-69)

* Sam Farr, U.S. Representative from California (Colombia 1964-66)

* John Garamendi, State of California Insurance Commissioner (Ethiopia 1966-68)

* Gene George, USAID mission director, Bangladesh (Nepal 1972-73)

* Richard Goughnour, USAID/Brazil Director (Brazil 1974-76)

* Gordon Gray, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (Morocco 1978-1980)

* Mike Honda, U.S. Representative from California (El Salvador 1965-67)

* Elisa Long, public defender in Mariana Islands (Marshall Islands 1987-89)

* Joseph W. Lown, mayor of San Angelo, Texas (Bolivia 1999-2001)

* Dan McAllister, treasurer tax collector of San Diego, CA (Micronesia 1974-77)

* Thomas Murphy, Jr., mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, PA (Paraguay 1970-72)

* Matthew Patrick, Massachusetts State Representative (Ghana 1977-79)

* Sarah Parker, associate justice, North Carolina Supreme Court (Turkey 1964-66)

* Terry Peterson, deputy secretary of U.S. Department of Education (Brazil 1967-69)

* Thomas Petri, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin (Somalia 1966-67)

* Ken Roberts, Assistant Administrator, Foreign Agriculture Service, USDA (Paraguay 1977-79)

* Denny Robertson, USAID Director for the Caucasus Region (Philippines 1977-79)

* Tod Satterthwaite, mayor of Urbana, Illinois (Grenada 1990-92)

* Donna Shalala, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (Iran 1962-64)

* Christopher Shays, U.S. Representative from Connecticut (Fiji 1968-70)

* Robert Taft, served as governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007. (Tanzania 1963-65)

* James Walsh, U.S. Representative from New York (Nepal 1970-72)

* Cathy Woolard, Atlanta City Council (Micronesia 1980-81)

Education

* Joe Acaba, mission specialist educator astronaut for NASA (Dominican Republic 1994-96)

* Charles Baquet, director of the Center for Intercultural & International Programs, Xavier University of Louisiana (Somalia 1965-67)

* Stephen Beaver, associate dean of admissions of Thunderbird School of International Studies (Tanzania 1965-67)

* Tex Boggs, president of the Western Wyoming Community College System (Thailand 1962-64)

* Leonel Castillo, president and co-founder of Houston International University (Philippines 1961-63)

* Theodore Celeste, chairman of board of trustees of Ohio State University (Fiji 1968-70)

* Leon Dash, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Swanlund Professor of Journalism, University of Illinois at Urbana (Kenya 1969-70)

* Drew Days, professor, Yale Law School (Honduras 1967-69)

* Brady J. Deaton, chancellor or the University of Missouri-Columbia (Thailand 1962-64)

* George Drake, former president of Grinnell College (Lesotho 1991-93)

* Thomas Gouttierre, dean of International Studies and Programs and director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska-Omaha (Afghanistan 1965-67)

* John E. Greisberger, president of NAFSA: Association of International Educators (Afghanistan 1973-75)

* Leo Higdon, Jr., president of Connecticut College, former president of the College of Charleston (Malawi 1968-70)

* James M. Kouzes, dean's professor of leadership at Santa Clara University (Turkey 1967-69)

* Joann La Perla-Morales, president of Middlesex County College (Colombia 1968-70)

* James Lyons Sr., president of California State University, Dominguez Hills (Ecuador 1966-67)

* M. Peter McPherson, president of Michigan State University (Peru 1964-66)

* Joyce Neu, director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of Sand Diego (Senegal 1972-74)

* Julius Nimmons, president of University of the District of Columbia (Tunisia 1962-64)

* Marjorie Pfannkuch-Bakan, president of Wheelock College (Philippines 1961-63)

* Jeswald Salacuse, dean of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (Nigeria 1963-65)

* Donna Shalala, president of the University of Miami (Iran 1962-64)

* Robert Trumble, dean of Graduate School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University (Peru 1963-65)

Foreign Service

* Frank Almaguer, former ambassador to Honduras (Belize 1967-69)

* Richard A. Boucher, assistant secretary of state, South and Central Asian affairs, (Senegal 1973-75)

* Raymond Burghardt, director, American Institute of Taiwan (Colombia 1968-69)

* Johnnie Carson, ambassador to Kenya (Tanzania 1965-68)

* Greg Engle, ambassador to Togo (South Korea 1980-81)

* Richard Erdman, ambassador to Algeria (Turkey 1967-69)

* Robert Gelbard, ambassador to Indonesia (Bolivia 1964-66)

* David N. Greenlee, ambassador to Bolivia; previously ambassador to Paraguay, (Bolivia 1965-67)

* Robert W. Fitts, ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu (Malaysia 1970-72)

* Tony Hall, ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies (Thailand 1966-67)

* Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state, East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Cameroon 1974-76)

* Thomas Neil Hull, III, ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone 1968-70)

* Vicki Huddleston, ambassador to Mali (Peru 1964-66)

* Cameron R. Hume, ambassador to the Republic of South Africa; previously ambassador to Algeria (Libya 1968-69)

* John Francis Keane, ambassador to Paraguay (Colombia 1966-69)

* Darryl Johnson, ambassador to Thailand (Thailand 1962-65)

* James Mack, deputy assistant secretary of state, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (Honduras 1963-65)

* R. Niels Marquardt, ambassador to the Republics of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (Rwanda 1977-79)

* Larry L. Palmer, ambassador to Honduras (Liberia, 1971-1973)

* Don McConnell, ambassador to Eritrea (Nigeria 1963-65)

* Richard Allan Roth, ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau (Burkina Faso, 1969-72)

* R. Barrie Walkley, ambassador to Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe (Somalia, 1967-69)

External Links

* [http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatispc.notable Official Peace Corps Web Site: Notable RPCVs]
* [http://peacecorpslibrary.org Peace Corps Library: List of Notable RPCVs]