February 26, 2004 - US Peace Corps : Peace Corps Names controversial Virginia Politician Jay Katzen as new Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: March 2004 Peace Corps Headlines: February 26, 2004 - US Peace Corps : Peace Corps Names controversial Virginia Politician Jay Katzen as new Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-188-54.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.188.54) on Monday, March 01, 2004 - 3:52 pm: Edit Post

Peace Corps Names controversial Virginia Politician Jay Katzen as new Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region





Read and comment on this Peace Corps Press Release on the appointment of Jay Katzen as the new Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region. Mr. Katzen (above, second from right) was twice a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia - first in 1997 and again in 2001. He was also a Republican candidate for Virginia's 9th District Congressional seat losing to Rick Boucher in 2002. He previously served almost 25 years as a career Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. State Department. Read the story at:

Peace Corps Names New EMA Regional Director*

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



Peace Corps Names New EMA Regional Director

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2004 – Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez recently announced the appointment of Jay Katzen as the new Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region. Mr. Katzen assumed his responsibilities on February 17th.

"Jay brings to the Peace Corps his extensive experience abroad, where he lived and worked for more than two decades. We are pleased to welcome him to our team, and hope that Jay will continue to guide and inspire grassroots programs in his capacity of Regional Director,” Director Vasquez said.

The Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region is responsible for directing grass roots programs in 21 countries in the Eastern Hemisphere including the Balkans, Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Asia. Chief programs include education, health, environmental and HIV/AIDS education, and small business development.

Mr. Katzen has ample experience in international affairs, having served almost 25 years as a career Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. State Department. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Bamako, Mali, and Chargé d`Affaires in Brazzaville, Congo. His other posts included Australia, Burundi, Romania, and Zaire, and service at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was also Vice Chairman of the Board of the African Development Foundation.

Most recently, Mr. Katzen served as a delegate in Virginia’s House of Delegates where he represented the 31st legislative district of Fauquier, Rappahannock, and Warren counties.

Mr. Katzen earned a Bachelor’s degree at Princeton University and a Master’s degree at Yale University. He has since been back in the education system as a visiting professor at the Boston College Graduate School of Management. In addition, he has served on advisory boards at Duke, the University of Kentucky, and Shenandoah University.

Since 1961, more than 170,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and awareness, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.



September 5, 2001: Candidate Jay Katzen accused of Gay-Baiting in 2001 Virginia Lieutenant Governor's race



Read more about newly appointed Regional Director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region, Jay Katzen at:

Virginia GOP Gay Baits in Campaign

Virginia GOP Gay Baits in Campaign

by Bob Roehr

September 5, 2001

Republican gay baiting kicked off the political high holy season in Virginia politics, which along with New Jersey are the only ones to elect statewide offices this November. Democrats have fled from the charges, calling them a distortion and twisting of facts.

In a series of direct-mail pieces and radio commercials in predominately rural parts of the state, GOP candidates accused their opponents of being "the most liberal ticket in Virginia history," favoring gay marriage and wanting to kick the Boy Scouts out of public schools. "One of them wants to legalize gay marriage in Virginia," said a radio ad placed by the Republican Party of Virginia.

Jay Katzen, the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, has been the attack dog in this endeavor. He is a favorite of conservative Christian activists. In a joint radio appearance with Kaine, he accused him of trying to kick the Boy Scouts out of Richmond schools and of allowing gay-straight alliances to meet in those schools. Kaine replied that he knew of no effort to bar Scouts from Virginia schools and would not support such an effort. Nor was he familiar with any gay-straight alliances. As for the Scouts right to discriminate against gays, "I really don't have an opinion on that," said the civil rights lawyer.

In July, Katzen told the Richmond publication Style Weekly, "AIDS is the product, sadly, in most cases of a choice that people have made. We recognize that homosexuality is a choice. It's a lifestyle with public health consequences." He feared that repealing the state's archaic sodomy law would be "laying the framework for gay marriage."




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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Senior Staff; Staff; Politics; Election2004 - Bush

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By J. Michael Herrington (adsl-68-94-77-167.dsl.rcsntx.swbell.net - 68.94.77.167) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 9:33 am: Edit Post

Is this terrible decision a done deal, or is there something we can do to protest it? How very sad what Bush's radical appointments are doing to our nation!

By RPCV (71.41.171.66.subscriber.vzavenue.net - 66.171.41.71) on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 12:32 pm: Edit Post

Do Gaddi's "diversity initiatives" extend only to an ethnicity or two? Wow.

By petulisa (162-42-81-44.cybertrails.com - 162.42.81.44) on Monday, March 08, 2004 - 11:50 pm: Edit Post

There seems to be a lack of knowledge of the Peace Corps vision by those making decisions on leadership. Maybe a trip to the archives is in order.

By Tim Curry (147.9.149.54) on Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 9:38 am: Edit Post

As offensive as Mr. Katzen's bigorty is, it's his uninformed ideas about HIV/AIDS that are even more scary. This guys is going to be in charge of a Peace Corps efforts in a region with one of the fastest growing HIV infection rates on the planet and he believes that "AIDS is the product, sadly, in most cases of a choice that people have made. We recognize that homosexuality is a choice. It's a lifestyle with public health consequences." God help the people of the EMA region!

By John Smart (c68.117.114.35.pf.wi.charter.com - 68.117.114.35) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 10:31 pm: Edit Post

I don't suppose that surprise is in order here. After all, look at Bush's appointment of Vasquez. He's qualified? Look at all of Bush's appointments, for that matter. Look who he's sneaking onto the federal court benches. So this is "compassionate conservatism". Barry Goldwater is turning over in his grave!
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice, Powell, Vasquez... I don't trust these people with control of anything, least of all the Peace Corps. If they're given another four years, they'll destroy it, sure as hell they will!
John Smart
Uzbekistan 95-98
jnsmart@yahoo.com

By Chris Russell (45.san-jose-06rh15rt.ca.dial-access.att.net - 12.72.205.45) on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 10:15 pm: Edit Post

Just another example of the fact that "there is no difference between republicans and democrats" is a complete fallacy. Ralph Nader is trying to stick us with Bush, and his disaterous legacy to satisfy his vanity.


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