December 18, 2003 - Peace Corps: Director Vasquez is staying on to end of current term

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2003: December 2003 Peace Corps Headlines: December 18, 2003 - Peace Corps: Director Vasquez is staying on to end of current term

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-121-209.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.121.209) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 12:34 pm: Edit Post

Director Vasquez is staying on to end of current term





Read and comment on this memo by Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez that he has decided "to remain in my present role as Director of the Peace Corps through the end of the current term" at:

To: All Peace Corps*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



To: All Peace Corps

From: Gaddi H. Vasquez, Director

Subject: Announcement

After nearly two years of service and work with extraordinary Volunteers and staff, I have found my time at Peace Corps rewarding and fulfilling. The decision I made to resign my position as Peace Corps Director was one of the most difficult I have had to make in my professional life. My decision was made while I was facing difficult challenges that prolonged medical issues can impose on a family.

In light of my continued desire to serve, and with the concurrence and support of my family, I intend to remain in my present role as Director of the Peace Corps through the end of the current term. I am honored to have had the support and confidence of President George W. Bush in my decision and I look forward to carrying out the important initiatives that remain to be completed.

As we begin the new year, we can all celebrate the accomplishments of achieving a 28-year high in the number of Volunteers serving and a historic high in funding levels for the Peace Corps. None of the aforementioned successes would be possible without the support and deep rooted commitment at the Volunteer and staff levels both here and overseas. I thank you for your support and friendship over the course of the past two years and I look forward to working with you in 2004.

I wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season.




December 8, 2003 - LA Times says Vasquez was rumored for post with Schwarzenegger administration but plans to stay at Peace Corps for now



LA Times says Vasquez was rumored for post with Schwarzenegger administration but plans to stay at Peace Corps for now

Vasquez to Stay at Peace Corps for Now

Just two months after announcing plans to step down as director of the Peace Corps and return to Southern California, former Orange County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez has changed his mind, at least for now.

In October, Vasquez announced he was quitting the $295-million relief agency that he took over in February 2002, saying, "I decided it was a good time to come home to Orange County and my family."

Long active in Republican politics and an active supporter of Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor, Vasquez was rumored to be a prime candidate for a post with the new administration in Sacramento.

But his resignation date of Nov. 14 came and went without him vacating his office.

Eventually, Vasquez sent out an e-mail to employees and volunteers in which he said, "In light of pending initiatives and activities affecting the Peace Corps, I will be continuing my Peace Corps service to an indeterminate date."

Spokeswoman Barbara Daly said the initiatives that Vasquez cited include a proposal to increase funding for the Peace Corps, to involve the agency in the president's $15-billion AIDS assistance plan for Africa and to expand recruitment at community colleges.

With many of the key posts filled in the Schwarzenegger administration, one wonders whether perhaps Vasquez concluded that the job picture in California wasn't as rosy as he thought it was.

Daly said the decision was strictly based on Peace Corps issues, and she noted that Vasquez still plans to leave his post and return to California eventually. "He didn't rescind his resignation. He just delayed his departure," she said.



December 3, 2003 - Peace Corps Chief Does About-Face



Peace Corps Chief Does About-Face

Peace Corps Chief Does About-Face

By Al Kamen

Wednesday, December 3, 2003; Page A27

Back on Oct. 23, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez said he was, "with mixed emotions," stepping down as head of the agency he had run for only 20 months and heading back home to California effective Nov. 14.

The White House issued the usual statement praising his "tremendous leadership," and he told the press he wanted to tend to his parents' health and to "recharge my batteries."

But he never left. On Nov. 18, four days after he was supposed to be gone, Vasquez sent an e-mail to "All Peace Corps" saying he would be "continuing my Peace Corps service to an indeterminate date." He gave "pending initiatives and activities affecting the Peace Corps" as his reason, although it's unclear which of those initiatives or activities had not been pending when he quit. A spokesman yesterday said "a key driver" in his decision was to make sure the agency's budget is in place, but Vasquez has little to do with that.

There was some speculation that he was getting out before a Dayton Daily News investigative series hit the stands a few days later saying that assaults against volunteers had more than doubled from 1991 to 2002.

Asked about the timing, Vasquez told the newspaper he didn't know what the final stories were going to say, had made the decision to leave "some time ago" and places "family above everything else in life."

There was also talk he was heading back for a job in the new Schwarzenegger administration in Sacramento, and more chatter recently that maybe that didn't work out.

So what's going on here? In his e-mail, Vasquez said: "Over the past few days and weeks, I have received many supportive messages from staff, volunteers and [returned volunteers]. I am grateful and humbled by these words of friendship and good wishes."

So these presumably sincere notes changed his mind? In any event, Vasquez looks to be sticking around maybe into early next spring. What's that old saying? Forgotten, but not gone?



October 23, 2003 - Gaddi Vasquez resigns as Peace Corps Director





Read and comment on this memo that was emailed out on Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm with the resignation of Gaddi Vasquez as Peace Corps Director at:

Gaddi Vasquez resigns as Peace Corps Director*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



Gaddi Vasquez resigns as Peace Corps Director

"It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing to you that I have resigned as Director of the Peace Corps effective November 14, 2003. In my resignation letter to President George W. Bush, I wrote, "The Peace Corps is well positioned to expand and achieve even more in the 21st century. In my view, the Peace Corps remains one of the most viable means to train men and women in host countries and do so with effectiveness and positive outcomes of which we can be proud."

On February 15, 2002, I was privileged to assume the role of Peace Corps Director. The honor and opportunity to lead an agency with such a noble mission has been one of the great highlights of my professional life. During my time as Director, I have met hundreds of Peace Corps Volunteers who are engaged in remarkable work and are advancing the first and second goals of Peace Corps. I have traveled to 24 countries and all 11 recruiting offices and have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with exceptional staff who are performing a great service in support of the Volunteers' work. I have also had the opportunity to meet RPCVs in many states and appreciate their continuing commitment to advancing the third goal of the Peace Corps. I am confident that the Peace Corps is well positioned to achieve much in the 21st century.

Since I have become the Director, the Peace Corps has established programs in nine countries and is poised to grow in the coming years. Much of what has been accomplished is due to the strong partnership between Peace Corps Washington and field staff in the United States and overseas. From recruiters to desk officers and from medical staff to safety and security personnel every man and woman I have met represent the finest of Peace Corps professionals. It has been my honor to serve with each of you.

I will always be grateful to President Bush for the high honor and confidence he had in nominating me to serve. Moreover, he has been a strong advocate and proponent of Peace Corps and his continued support throughout his Presidency has been extraordinary.

As I prepare to return to California, I will fondly remember the friendships and the support that so many of you have given to me since my first day at Peace Corps. I am proud of what has been accomplished and each of you has made a contribution to that effort. Together we have made a difference, achieved many objectives, and we have created new opportunities for all Americans to serve in the Peace Corps. I thank you for your dedicated service."




Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL

Read the series on Safety and Security here



Leave your comments on the series below.

Read comments by RPCVs here, here and here.





Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Peace Corps Directors - Vasquez

PCOL9204
14

.

By Daniel (0-1pool136-27.nas12.somerville1.ma.us.da.qwest.net - 63.159.136.27) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 7:17 pm: Edit Post

You know what is ashame. You read all the people who have lost their lives in service and have problems due to Peace Corps irresponsibility. This guy should do something positive, but the only thing he knows is law enforcement and macro safety procedures.

I think he will get the jist of our complaints, our real needs and the real realities of serving in a safety breech situation. Members of Congress and Senate, even in his own party are down his throat. Not caring about present volunteers and former volunteers will be his legacy if he doesn't start listening.

Perhaps, Dean will take care of another term of this guy at the helm.

I haven't written much negative stuff about him because I believe you have to give someone time to adapt. He and his Peace Corps is against my case personally, thus my family and their room for policies changes is becoming ever so small.

Soon he may have to meet with our political might. Remember we served. We have been from behind in pushing for policy changes. Soon we may be presenting our concerns in forums he is always trying to cow tow to.

See you soon,


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: