2006.02.01: February 1, 2006: Headlines: COS - Niger: Country Directors - Niger: American Diplomacy: Jim Bullington retires as Country Director for Niger
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2006.02.01: February 1, 2006: Headlines: COS - Niger: Country Directors - Niger: American Diplomacy: Jim Bullington retires as Country Director for Niger
Jim Bullington retires as Country Director for Niger
"The Peace Corps experience came at the right season of my life; partly because it liberated me from a university position and academic environment I found stifling; partly because it rekindled a lifelong taste for the adventurous and exotic; partly because I was no longer driven to get ahead in a career and have been able to operate rather independently of Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington; but mostly because of the inherent satisfaction of being able to use a lifetime of relevant experience to guide and support more than 400 outstanding young American Volunteers in their efforts to help some of the world's poorest people."
Jim Bullington retires as Country Director for Niger
This is a special article, the last letter from Niger of Jim Bullington. Jim first began contributing to American Diplomacy in 1997 and began his letters from Niger in September, 2000. He has contributed letters every three months since. As our editor wrote in September, 2000, Jim Bullington “brings to bear the unique perspective of a career senior diplomat and former U. S. ambassador to Burundi and head of a large Peace Corps contingent in Africa, all rolled into one man”. Jim and his wife, Tuy-Cam, will be leaving Niamey shortly for Williamsburg, Virginia. We wish them Godspeed and look forward to many future contributions from Jim. — Assoc. Ed.
[Excerpt]
The years I've spent as Peace Corps Director in Niger have been among the most professionally and personally gratifying of my life, better even than my two tours at the head of U.S. Embassies. Every time I've gone to the Embassy here and seen the Ambassador, I've been reminded of how happy I am to have my job instead of hers. This is partly because the Peace Corps experience came at the right season of my life; partly because it liberated me from a university position and academic environment I found stifling; partly because it rekindled a lifelong taste for the adventurous and exotic; partly because I was no longer driven to get ahead in a career and have been able to operate rather independently of Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington; but mostly because of the inherent satisfaction of being able to use a lifetime of relevant experience to guide and support more than 400 outstanding young American Volunteers in their efforts to help some of the world's poorest people.
[Excerpt]
Supporting the Volunteers is my top priority as Country Director. The second priority is supporting the Volunteers. So is the third, the fourth and the fifth. Everything else, especially bureaucratic requirements from Washington, is somewhere on page two of the priority list. With this focus, and since nothing about Peace Corps work is classified or sensitive, it was both easy and appropriate for her to take a large role in the job.
About the Author
J. R. Bullington is a retired Foreign Service officer and U.S. ambassador with service in Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Chad, Benin and Burundi, as well as the Department of State. He became Peace Corps country director in Niger in August 2000. He is author of two pieces that have previously appeared in Peace Corps Online - "Return of the aged hippies" and "Return of the aged warrior?".
When this story was posted in July 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: American Diplomacy
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Niger; Country Directors - Niger
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