Peace Corps Swears In Edward J. Willet as Uzbekistan Country Director
Peace Corps Swears In Six New Country Directors
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 18, 2004 –Recently, the Peace Corps swore in six new country directors in a ceremony held at the Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters. The new directors will be going to countries in the three Peace Corps regions across the globe.
Peace Corps country directors are responsible for management and direction of all aspects of the Peace Corps program in their country of assignment. The country directors support volunteers in the field. They lend their skills and energy to meet development needs and promote a better understanding between the host country people and Americans.
Uzbekistan – Edward J. Willet
Edward J. Willett, Jr. was most recently the Director for Congressional Programs and Legislative Affairs for the USDA Graduate School. He retired from the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 where he was the Director of Financial Oversight and Review during the 104th Congress. Willett’s past professional experience includes 18 years with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Nine of those years were spent at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in Charlottesville, Virginia. When he left FEI in 1990, he was the Assistant Director for Management. Willett became OPM’s Washington Training Center Director, and in 1993, was selected as a LEGIS Fellow on the staff of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Prior to his federal service, Willett held management positions with Dun & Bradstreet, Inc., the University of Missouri/Kansas City, and the D.C. government. He earned his Master’s of Public Administration degree from the University of Missouri/Kansas City, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York/Buffalo and did post graduate work at the University of Southern California’s Washington Public Affairs Center. A veteran of U.S. Army service in Korea, he was also a Peace Corps volunteer in India and is currently the President of the “Friends of India” group, one of the largest organizations of returned Peace Corps volunteers in the country. Willett is a native of Buffalo, N.Y.
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.
