Donald Lu Is the New Top U.S. Diplomat for South and Central Asia
In the toolbox for Donald Lu in his new role in South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department: diplomacy, advocacy, assistance, and learning from the past. Photo by RFE/L By NPCA Staff In September, Donald Lu (Sierra Leone 1988–90) was confirmed as assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. He’s the first diplomat to hold that post in four years — it sat vacant during the previous administration — and the first ever to arrive with significant experience in Central Asia. Lu had been serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic since 2018. His new...
Marcy Pursell: Last year, all Volunteers were evacuated. I’ve been there, twice.
Marcy Pursell Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali (2011–12) | Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Mali (2015) and Sierra Leone (2016) As told to Emi Krishnamurthy Photo: “Saying goodbye again is not the easiest thing in the world,” writes Marcy Pursell. “The man on the left, Hassan, was born on the night of my arrival. The man on the right, Bashiro, is my amazing neighbor, Hassan's father and my host father.” Photo by Marcy Pursell After graduating college in 2011, I went to Bambougou, Mali, for a two-year Peace Corps service as an education and literacy specialist. Around...
Notable: Recent Awards for Four Members of the Peace Corps Community
Honors from the University of California, the Republic of Mali, Dartmouth College, and Bucknell University By NPCA Staff Maureen Orth | Colombia 1964–66 Maureen Orth received a 2021 Campanile Excellence in Achievement Award from the Cal Alumni Association, in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley Foundation, for pushing boundaries whenever possible. She is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and founder of the Marina Orth Foundation, which supports education in Colombia. Melvin Foote | Ethiopia 1973–75 Melvin Foote received special recognition from the president of Mali this year: He is to be honored with the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mali — the...