Community News

Benin, Chad, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Korea, Mali, Morocco, Philippines, South Africa

By JoAnna Haugen on Friday, September 25th, 2009

BENIN; CHAD; WASHINGTON, DC

Thomas P. Corcoran (66-73) was recently appointed president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation. He most recently served as founding president and CEO of Cooper’s Ferry Development Association, Inc. Following his Peace Corps service in Chad, Corcoran became a Peace Corps Fellow and participated in a one-year internship in Washington, D.C. Following that, he became the assistant Peace Corps director of Benin and then the country director at the age of 27.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Casa Grande human interactions teacher Lynne Moquete (90-92) took nearly 50 people—mainly high school and college students—to the Dominican Republic over the summer to volunteer in La Descubierta, a rural village. Moquete is the founder of Building Homes, Building Hopes, a non-profit organization that builds homes in developing countries, provides opportunities for individuals to visit these countries and raises global awareness throughout communities.

ETHIOPIA

USAID recently appointed Allan Reed (66-69) as the mission director for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reed has more than 40 years of experience in implementation and management of development programs and initiatives in West, East and Southern Africa, South Asia and Europe. He managed USAID’s Southern Sudan program for which he received the Presidential Rank Meritorious Award in 2008. Reed also served as the USAID mission director in Zambia and completed other USAID missions in Kenya, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Russia, Guinea, Swaziland and Mauritania.

GHANA

Cheryl Anderson (81-83) has been appointed the new USAID/Ghana mission country director. She joined USAID/East Africa in November 2004 as deputy director and most recently completed service as the USAID/East Africa regional mission director in Kenya. In her new position, Anderson will manage USAID programs in Ghana which help strengthen governance, promote improved agricultural practices and food security, improve health care delivery and enhance basic education.

GUINEA

Steven Matthew Read (00-02) recently embarked on a quest to walk the 3,000 miles around the perimeter of Texas. He was inspired to make the journey after hiking the Appalachian Trail six years ago. The trek is expected to take the better part of a year.

KOREA

Clifford Garstang (76-77) recently published a collection of short fiction stories about people looking for place. The book, In an Uncharted Country, consists of 12 short stories, 11 of which have been previously published in national literary magazines. Garstang received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a law degree from Indiana University’s School of Law and a master’s degree from Queens University of Charlotte.

MALI

Sarah Welsh (01-03) recently became the executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, an ally for advocates of transparent government. Welch was previously a newspaper editor in northern New Mexico and a communications director for KaBOOM! in Washington, D.C.

MOROCCO

Thomas Hollowell recently published his first book, Allah’s Garden, a true story about a Moroccan doctor who was one of the longest-held POWs in world history. Hollowell graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., and worked at a children’s service center and taught English as a second language before joining the Peace Corps. He is the original founder of a website called Journey Beyond Travel, which offers customized tours of Morocco, and recently finished his second book, The Everything Travel Guide to Ireland.

PHILIPPINES

The First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, Mich., welcomed Rev. Dr. John Judson (77-79) as its new pastor and head of staff. Prior to moving to Michigan, he was the pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, Texas, for 17 years. Judson entered the seminary after serving in the Peace Corps.

SOUTH AFRICA

Platte County, Wyo., author Starley Talbott (2001) has released a book featuring the history of the communities of Wheatland, Glendo, Hartville, Guernsey and Chugwater as well as rural areas and towns that no longer exist. Her writing career began with a stint at the Saratoga Sun in 1971; today she is a freelance writer. Talbott earned her master’s degree from the University of Nevada. Her first book, Lasso the World, was published in 2004. The book contains a story about Talbott’s Peace Corps experience, which was also included in the Peace Corps at 50 story project.

Add a Comment

167 queries in 4.350 seconds.