By Admin1 (admin) on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 10:26 am: Edit Post |
James O'Brien of New Jersey will become the Peace Corps country director in El Salvador
James O'Brien of New Jersey will become the Peace Corps country director in El Salvador
Top White House official
to head Peace Corps
Staff reports
WASHINGTON -- Two Irish Americans were tapped by President Bill Clinton to posts in the Peace Corps.
Mark Gearan of Alexandria, Va., the Irish-American director of communications for the White House,, has been nominated to be the next director of the organization started by President John F.Kennedy to help expand world freedom and democracy.
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James O'Brien of New Jersey will become the Peace Corps country director in El Salvador, where he will manage a multisectoral program involving 60 volunteers.
Gearan was born in Gardner, Mass. and was graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1978 with an honors degree in government. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
While in his White House post, he served as deputy chief of staff before his current assignment as assistant to the president and director of communications and strategic planning.
O'Brien has been the Peace Corps' New York regional director for recruitment for the past five years. He served as the organization's acting national recruitment director in Washington D.C. in 1993.
He has also served as director of Country Programs for Private Agencies Collaborating Together and as director for Latin America at the Inter-America Foundation.
O'Brien will leave for El Salvador Aug. 9. Gearan's nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The Peace Corps will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year. Since it was founded, 140,000 Americans have served as volunteers in more than 120 countries. There are 6,500 volunteers serving in 93 countries today.