Advocacy
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National Peace Corps Association > News > Advocacy > February Featured Advocate – Kristina Owens
February Featured Advocate – Kristina Owens
By Jonathan Pearson on Monday, February 11th, 2013
Bolivia RPCV Kristina Owens (r) attended Peace Corps Connect – 2012 last summer in Minneapolis
Kristina Owens (Bolivia 2000-02) holds several key leadership positions within the Peace Corps community. She serves on the National Peace Corps Association’s Board of Directors as the Mid-Atlantic/Nationwide Groups representative. Her Board roles include membership on the Advocacy Working Group.
Kristina, who lives in Laurel, Maryland and comes from a bona fide Peace Corps family (her twin sister served, and her RPCV father met her mother while serving), has also held several key positions within the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. between 2009 and 2012, including Treasurer, Strategic Partnership Director and 50th Anniversary Event Manager.
On February 28th, Kristina will take on another role: Capitol Hill advocate for a strong and vibrant Peace Corps.
Throughout the day on February 28th, Kristina will be teamed up with several other participants and participate in between six to eight meetings with congressional offices.
“I love listening to my fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) share their stories as well as being able to tell my story. Everyone agrees that the Peace Corps experience changes you in a positive way. To be able to tell our story to those who may not completely why Peace Corps is important is very rewarding. RPCVs provide tangible reasons for supporting strong funding for the Peace Corps.”
Over the years, Kristina has become a regular participant in NPCA advocacy initiatives. One of the things she enjoys most is seeing congressional staff gain a better understanding on the significant work Peace Corps Volunteers do, and the importance of bringing that experience back home.
If you are thinking about participating in the Capitol Hill portion of our National Day of Action, Kristina says go for it! “Capitol Hill staff hear from lobbyists all day…RPCVs can have a greater impact by simply sharing their story…Don’t be intimidated (by Capitol Hill). Just tell your story.”
