Mark D. Gearan was confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in as the 14th Director of the Peace Corps in September 1995
Mark D. Gearan was confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in as the 14th Director of the Peace Corps in September 1995. Since becoming Director, Gearan has worked to prepare the Peace Corps for the 21st century by building on the agency's proud legacy of service over the last 36 years.
Gearan's highest priority is to support nearly 6,500 Peace Corps volunteers serving in more than 90 countries. He is also working to create new opportunities for Peace Corps service. Under Gearan's leadership, Peace Corps volunteers began serving for the first time in South Africa and Jordan. In addition, Gearan oversaw the return of Peace Corps Volunteers to Haiti after a five-year absence. Gearan has also launched the Crisis Corps, a new program within the Peace Corps that allows volunteers and returned Peace Corps volunteers to provide short-term assistance to communities during humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
Gearan has visited volunteers in Poland, Ukraine, Swaziland, Botswana, Nepal, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Domestically, Gearan has worked to strengthen the Peace Corps' ties to thousands of Americans who make up the returned Peace Corps volunteer community.
Gearan, 40, brings to the Peace Corps an extensive career in public service. From 1993-95, he served as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications, as well as White House Deputy Chief of Staff. Gearan traveled extensively with President Clinton on overseas trips to Russia, Japan, the Middle East, Germany, Italy, and Ireland. He is also an honorary fellow of the Foreign Policy Association.
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Gearan was Vice-President Gore's Campaign Manager and was appointed Deputy Director of President-elect Clinton's transition team. Gearan has also served as Executive Director of the Democratic Governors Association, Director of the Massachusetts Office of Federal Relations, headquarters Press Secretary for Governor Michael Dukakis' presidential campaign, Press Secretary for U.S. Representative Robert F. Drinan of Massachusetts, and Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Berkeley Bedell of Iowa.
A native of Gardner, Massachusetts, Gearan earned a B.A. in Government cum laude at Harvard College in 1978 and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1991. He is married to Mary Herlihy Gearan. They have one daughter, Madeleine.
