Peace Corps Iran Association’s FINAL Gathering
More than one hundred RPCVs reunited this weekend for the final gathering of the Peace Corps Iran Association at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. The group will cease to exist in June 2026, it’s only fitting that they end in a high note, a finale to their journey.
The event marked a meaningful conclusion to decades of reconnections among those who served in Iran before the 1979 revolution, offering a space to honor their shared legacy and reflect on how their experiences shaped lives and careers across generations.
Though most attendees were in their seventies, eighties, and nineties, the energy of their youth—the years spent living and working in Iranian communities—filled the conference with vitality and warmth. Conversations were rich with memories of teaching, language learning, friendships, and a deep immersion in Iranian culture. The reunion was not only a celebration of the past, but also a reaffirmation of the enduring power of person-to-person diplomacy.
It was a moment that captured everything they stood for.
Joe Kennedy III, Former Massachusetts Congressman and RPCV Dominican Republic, 2004-2006
Prominent speakers included the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Congressman Joe Kennedy III, both of whom emphasized the importance of the Peace Corps—then, now, and in the years ahead. Their remarks centered on the enduring value of international service in building bridges, developing leadership, and advancing peace.
A highlight of the weekend was the debut of a new exhibit from the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience, titled Peace by Design. This collection included artifacts, photographs, textiles, letters, and stories from PCVs who served in Iran, offering a moving and multifaceted narrative of life and learning during their years of service. The exhibit underscored the intentionality behind service—how every lesson taught, every relationship formed, and every home entered helped craft a foundation for cross-cultural understanding.
NPCA Staff Dan Baker, Cyndi Capurso, and Emeritus Board Member Michael Roman, with Joe Kennedy
For many attendees, the experience was deeply emotional and hopeful. Skip Auld, one of the event organizers and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer to Iran, reflected:
“The best part for me was seeing the younger volunteers who were at the museum exhibit opening.”
The gathering concluded with a formal banquet attended by all, serving as both a farewell and a celebration. Surrounded by friends old and new, guests shared a meal, raised toasts, and honored the unique chapter they wrote together in Peace Corps history. The banquet was a final tribute to the community they built and the mission they carried.
Though this was the last official reunion of the Peace Corps Iran Association, its legacy endures—in the lives changed, the friendships sustained, and the commitment to peace carried forward.
Art from the exhibit from the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience