Thailand RPCV Van Nelson is new Country Director for Georgia
Five Country Directors Take New Posts
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 13, 2004 – Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez is pleased to announce the transfer of five country directors to new posts. Each of the country directors will officially begin his or her new assignment this month.
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.
The new country director assignments are as follows:
Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia Region
Georgia - Van Nelson
Van Nelson comes to Peace Corps with over 30 years experience in international development. Following his service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand from 1969 to 1972, Nelson was an associate Peace Corps director for education in Iran, and later the associate director for training in Thailand. Nelson has also been a pre-service training director for numerous Peace Corps posts. He was the associate director for programming and training for the Peace Corps in western Russia, and most recently, he was country director of the Peace Corps program in Moldova.
Nelson was born and raised in Faribault, Minn., and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota. Following his volunteer service in Thailand, he received a master’s degree from the School of International Training in Brattleboro, Vt. Nelson's permanent stateside residence is Scottsdale, Ariz., where he owned and operated a retail business for 20 years.
