Who is she?
Carrie Hessler-Radelet is the newly confirmed director of the Peace Corps. Nominated by President Barack Obama in July 2013, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 5. Hessler-Radelet served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Western Samoa before embarking on a career in public health. Most recently, she has served as Peace Corps deputy director and acting director since 2010.
Carrie Hessler-Radelet speaks at her formal swearing in ceremony as director of the Peace Corps on June 25, 2014. Source: Peace Corps flickr photostream, U.S. government work.
Why is she in the news?
During President Obama’s two-day visit to Myanmar in November, the White House announced Peace Corps would be opening in Myanmar for the first time. The decision reflected the administration’s support of Myanmar’s ongoing reform process and firm commitment to promoting closer people-to-people ties between the United States and Myanmar. Peace Corps is expected to begin sending volunteers in late 2015 to work on efforts to control malaria.
What can we expect from her?
Since her confirmation, Hessler-Radelet has overseen a significant overhaul of the Peace Corps application process, resulting in a 70 percent increase in applicants this year alone. She will also need to address criticisms over safety protocols for volunteers abroad
In the future, Hessler-Radelet may oversee the opening of more programs in Asia. During the U.S.-ASEAN leaders meeting in 2010, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak and President Obama floated the idea of Peace Corps returning to Malaysia after an absence of three decades. Peace Corps has also explored opening a program in Vietnam in recent years. Expanding Peace Corps’ presence in Asia would be a smart step toward building lasting relationships with a rapidly developing region of the world.
