Tschetter says his main challenge is to make the Peace Corps more "relevant to the 21st century"



Asked how his business background might come into play in his new job, Tschetter said, "I think as a former executive, managing companies with shareholders and numerous employees, I'm aware of the need for the agency to be held accountable and show measurable results." Ron Tschetter is the seventeenth Director of the Peace Corps. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India in the 1960's.

Tschetter says his main challenge is to make the Peace Corps more "relevant to the 21st century"

Peace Corps Adapting to 21st Century, New Director Says

Former volunteer in India targets U.S. "baby boomer" population

By Jim Fisher-Thompson and John Cox
USINFO Staff Writers

Washington -- Time goes by quickly, new Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter acknowledged as he recently reflected on the 40 years between his volunteer service in India and being named by President Bush in September to head the 7,700-member volunteer agency.

During that time, the South Dakota native used many of the management tools and interpersonal skills he learned as a volunteer overseas to build a successful career in the financial-investment sector, ultimately becoming president of D.A. Davidson & Co., one of the nation's largest full-service investment firms.

Now his main challenge, Tschetter says, is to make the corps more "relevant to the 21st century."

The Peace Corps saying that "'you get more than you give as a volunteer' still remains true," Tschetter told USINFO reporters after returning in November from his first official visit, reviewing volunteer programs in Morocco and Jordan.

The goal of partnership with local peoples -- to build more prosperous, democratic societies -- that inspired more than 187,000 volunteers to serve after President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 remains "exactly the same," he said.

Tschetter said he was passionate about the Peace Corps when he and his wife, Nancy, volunteered as health workers living and operating out of Bori, a small town in southern India, from 1966 until 1968. "We helped battle smallpox among nomads in Maharashtra state along with Lillian Carter, whom we got to know quite well."

Carter, a volunteer in her 70s, was the mother of President Jimmy Carter. "She had been trained as a nurse, and all the people just loved her for her simplicity and genuine caring attitude," Tschetter said.

The director said he is just as passionate today as he was in the 1960s, but his emphasis now is to help the Peace Corps fit into a changing world.

TAPPING THE TALENTS OF OLDER AMERICANS

As a start, Tschetter wants to bring more "baby boomers" -- people born after 1945 -- into the corps to share their skills and life experiences. "This is a pool of 75 million mature people, many of whom have traveled and are familiar with other cultures. They are basically healthy and many have good retirement benefits. They represent a lot of passion to serve and give back that is untapped."

With that in mind, he said: "We have a very successful program in Mexico composed of 40 volunteers, many of them engineers who work on environmental projects. Their average age is 47 -- with the oldest volunteer 78 -- compared to 27 for our other volunteers." As it stands now, "over 5 percent of our volunteers are over 50."

Tschetter said his next trip would be in mid-December to Mexico, where he will swear in the latest group of volunteers to serve as development partners with America's southern neighbor.

Asked how his business background might come into play in his new job, Tschetter said, "I think as a former executive, managing companies with shareholders and numerous employees, I'm aware of the need for the agency to be held accountable and show measurable results."

Tschetter said the Peace Corps has achieved that goal, especially in its HIV/AIDs programs, to which 2,880 volunteers are devoting their time and energy. "We've already established 85,000 training centers on AIDS that have "touched 1 million people" with quantifiable results, he said.

REACHING OUT TO MUSLIM COUNTRIES

The new director said he will continue to focus on adding more volunteers in Muslim countries. "We are in 14 now -- countries with at least 40 percent Muslim populations -- and expect to add more down the road. A number of very large Muslim countries have come to us and we are open to such opportunities."

Tschetter said Morocco, where he just visited, is an example of a very long and fruitful Peace Corps partnership. "We have been there for 43 years and our volunteers -- who work as teachers, small business development advisers and on environmental projects -- have built very important and lasting relationships with communities there."

Peace Corps has been in Jordan for 10 years and many of its current 53 volunteers there work on programs for children with special needs, Tschetter pointed out. On his recent visit, he said, he met with the king, queen and officials who said they would "appreciate an expansion of the Peace Corps in their country."

Tschetter added that the corps also would have volunteers in Cambodia -- by February 2007 -- and in Ethiopia, which had one of the largest Peace Corps contingents before civil war and security concerns saw them removed. Currently, the largest group of Peace Corps volunteers -- 350 -- serves in Ukraine.

"This organization is just awesome. I'm so impressed with the dedication and passion of its people. It's a real honor and privilege to serve as its 17th director," Tschetter concluded.

(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: December, 2006; Ron Tschetter; Ron Tschetter (Director 2006 - ); Peace Corps India; Directory of India RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for India RPCVs

When this story was posted in December 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

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October 22, 2006: This Month's Top Stories The crisis over North Korea's nuclear bomb test 14 Oct Hill faced strong opposition for denuclearization agreement 8 Oct John Coyne writes: The first Peace Corps book 20 Oct Thomas Tighe moderates discussion with President Clinton 17 Oct PC announces Community College degree program 18 Oct Donna Shalala expresses dismay over football brawl 16 Oct Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley defends Lebanon policy 16 Oct Jan Guifarro elected Chair of NPCA Board 15 Oct Carl Pope writes: From the pump to the polls 13 Oct Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez Says Africa a Priority 12 Oct Chris Dodd opposes Bush terrorism bill 10 Oct Isaac Edvalson is founder of Africa's Tomorrow 9 Oct The Man who turned down Shriver 8 Oct Mae Jemison tells girls to reach for the stars 6 Oct Loren Finnell receives Shriver Award 4 Oct Matt Sesow paints onstage during opera 2 Oct Film examines anti-malaria drug lariam 29 Sep Blackwill dismisses Musharraf's claims 27 Sep Ron Tschetter sworn in as 17th Peace Corps Director 26 Sep Rape Victim Student Gets $1 Million From City College 26 Sep Ricardo Chavira narrates Public Service Announcements 25 Sep

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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