RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Special Reports: August 7, 2004: Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview: RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-239-147.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.239.147) on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 12:58 pm: Edit Post

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview - RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview - RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview - RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters






RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters

PCOL: I was looking at the Peace Corps Web site this morning and I noticed that there were nine new Country Directors who had been sworn in. I didn't have a chance to read their complete bios but I did notice that many of them were Returned Volunteers. No one would dispute that of the over 1,000 Peace Corps staff, many if not most of them are Returned Volunteers. But I would just like to raise the issue of Returned Volunteers in policy making positions at Peace Corps Headquarters.

Dena Bunis of your hometown newspaper, the Orange County Register, reported in a story last year that only three of the top 22 positions, the so-called "political" appointees were Returned Volunteers. Other Directors have relied to a much greater extent on Returned Volunteers in senior management positions at the agency. Can you explain your policy and why some people would say "why are there so few Returned Volunteers in senior policy making positions at Peace Corps Headquarters now?


GV: My first examination of personnel is of the pool of people who are available to me at the time. You have a pool of individuals who apply and express an interest in service in the Peace Corps. This is an administration that has a very strong history of support of the Peace Corps. These last couple of years have seen the highest level of appropriations in Peace Corps' history. We achieved a 28-year high in the number of volunteers serving last year, which is a credit to the support that President Bush has given to the Peace Corps. These are historic levels - that cannot be lost.

To that end, I think that the performance of the senior management team should be judged on results, because they are the ones who have to work the Hill. They are the ones who have to build the relationships with Congress. They are the ones who have to build the relationships with the White House. And as a team, whether they are RPCVs or they are not RPCVs, they are passionate about the work of the Peace Corps. That should be one of the key indicators and measures of an individual who works at the Peace Corps.




 RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters

One of the things I set out to do is find talent and people who bring skills, abilities, experience, and history that will combine well with the team that leads the Peace Corps. Country Directors are part of that process. The way that we have managed is a bottoms-up approach. That is to say, we rely on people in the field. I'm not taking anything away from my predecessors, but I have had Country Directors who have told me that, "this is the first time, that someone from Washington has actually asked me what I think or how we ought to proceed on certain situations."

I respect the talents and the skills and the abilities of our Country Directors. They are exceptional, based on their experience, knowledge, and passion for the Peace Corps. We bring people who have been volunteers, and people who have not been volunteers to create a team that has produced great results. At the end of the day, that's what matters - the results.

PCOL: So what you are saying is that you were looking for specific skills for your senior management positions and you haven't been able to find those skills among returned volunteers?

GV: I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that we have evaluated the candidates who have been brought before us to look at the talents, skills, and abilities. We have chosen those who we think can make the maximum contribution. Some have been Returned Peace Corps volunteers, and some have not been volunteers. I think that the team has worked well. The dynamics have been good. And again, I reiterate, that perhaps best of all, we have achieved some historical outcomes and results for the Peace Corps.





Read our interview with Director Vasquez in this month's issue of PCOL Magazine:


Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview
This month we sat down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before.

Then read the questions and answers one by one and leave your comments on the issues raised during the interview including Infrastructure Upgrades and the new Situation Room at Headquarters, Is there a Budget Crunch this year at Peace Corps, Peace Corps' Long Term Expansion, the Changes to the Five-Year Rule made last year, Safety and Security Issues, the Cooperative Agreement with NPCA, RPCVs in Policy Making Positions at Peace Corps Headquarters, Peace Corps' Departure from Russia in 2002, Director Vasquez's Accomplishments as Director, the Peace Corps Safety and Security Bill before Congress, Continuity at the Agency during Changes in Administration, the Community College Program, and the Director's Message to the Returned Volunteer Community.


Read the questions and answers and leave your comments.






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Story Source: PCOL Exclusive

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

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