Extra-Ordinary Woman: Carol Bellamy, Former Director of Peace Corps and UNICEF

05/31/24 • 34 min

Women of Peace Corps Legacy's Extra-Ordinary Women Podcast

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Carol Bellamy. Carol was the former director of the Peace Corps from 1993-1995. She has many accomplishments on behalf of women and girls empowerment.
Featured Guest
Carol Bellamy is a former government and nonprofit executive and politician. She was recently chair of the board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), which is the first global funding effort to address violent extremist agendas with an emphasis on empowering women and youth. She was director of the Peace Corps, executive director of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and president and CEO of World Learning and the School for International Training. She also was the chair of children's rights advocacy organization ECPAT International, working to end the sexual exploitation of children. After three terms in the New York State Senate, she was the first woman to be elected to any citywide office in NYC as President of the New York City Council.
In addition, Carol has been Chair of the Board of Directors of the International
Baccalaureate, as well as Chair of the Global Partnership for Education. She has
worked in the private sector at Morgan Stanley and Cravath, Swaine & Moore. She is an emeritus member of the American University of Beirut Board of Trustees and is a
former Fellow of the Harvard Institute of Politics.
In recognition of her professional success, Carol made Forbes Magazine’s 100 Most
Powerful Women in the World. In addition, she has been awarded the Légion
d’Honneur by the Government of France, and the Order of the Rising Sun in Japan.
Podcast Host :
Kathleen Corey is past president of Women of Peace Corps Legacy. She spent sixteen years with Peace Corps getting her start as a Volunteer in Liberia. She has been Country Director in North Macedonia and Sri Lanka and held various headquarter positions responsible for opening Peace Corps China, Cambodia, and numerous countries in the Former Soviet Union. As a retired diplomat, she currently teaches various courses to Department of State employees at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.
Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women and girls empowerment to create a more just, equitable, inclusive, and safe world for future generations. WPCL seeks to partner with and highlight the work of those existing organizations and programs that are effectively addressing the issues of women and girls.

Previous Episode

Extra-Ordinary Woman: Carrie Hessler-Radelet

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Carrie Hessler-Radelet. Carrie is the President & CEO of Global Communities, an international non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together local ingenuity and global insights to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures.
Featured Guest:
Prior to Global Communities, Carrie served as the President & CEO of Project Concern International (PCI), which merged into Global Communities on April 6, 2020. Prior to that, Carrie served as the Acting and then Confirmed Director of the Peace Corps (2012-2017) and Deputy Director (2012-2015), leading America’s iconic international volunteer service organization with programs in over 65 countries. At Peace Corps she and her team led historic reforms to modernize and strengthen the agency to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Before being appointed to the Peace Corps by President Obama, Carrie worked as the Vice President and Director of the Washington D.C. office of John Snow, Inc. (JSI), overseeing the management of public health programs in 85 countries around the world. Her decades of global health work also included serving as the lead consultant on the first Five-Year Global HIV/AIDS Strategy for the President George W. Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), working in international development in Indonesia on maternal and child health and HIV programming, founding the Special Olympics in The Gambia, and serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer with her husband in Western Samoa.
Carrie is passionate about empowering communities to discover their own sustainable, innovative solutions to ensuring positive health and wellbeing and reducing poverty. She holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Boston University.
Podcast Host:
Maryann Minutillo has an extensive career in international development and public service. She is a founding member of Women of Peace Corps Legacy and a co-founder of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation. She has served as a mentor for mid-level professionals at Peace Corps for WPCL since the program began. Prior to her work at Peace Corps, Maryann was Director of the Department of State’s Family Liaison Office. In this position she oversaw community, education and family support programs at the State Department and United States Embassies throughout the world. She was Peace Corps Country Director in Bolivia, Acting Regional Director and Chief of Operations for the Inter-America and Pacific Region and Senior Advisor to six Directors of Peace Corps. Throughout her life, Maryann has had a strong interest in cultural adaptation and the impact of international transition and crisis situations on families and particularly on women’s careers.
Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women and girls empowerment to create a more just, equitable, inclusive, and safe world for future generations. WPCL seeks to partner with and highlight the work of those existing organizations and programs that are effectively addressing the issues of women and girls.

Next Episode

Extra-Ordinary Woman: Kate Raftery

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Kate Raftery. Women of Peace Corps Legacy's Emerging Leadership Award is named after Kate, to honor emerging women leaders under the age of 40 that have shown a dedication to improving the lives of women and girls.
Featured Guest:
Kate Raftery has dedicated her career to the elevation and empowerment of young professionals and development of direct ties between service and the addressing of critical social needs. As Peace Corps Country Director in four countries, deputy director and training staff in three others, and a member of headquarters senior leadership, she supported and challenged young professionals, both personally and professionally, during their service and launching of their careers.
As National Director of the Americorps National Civilian Community Corps she directed a program which offers a unique service opportunity for thousands of 18–24-year-old youth maximizing the use of the skills which they brought to the program, developing many more, as well as enhancing their understanding of the power of service to address critical community issues. As Vice President for Learning and Citizenship for the International Youth Foundation she focused on providing life skills and youth empowerment training through formal and non-formal education programs with the hope to give voice to young people around the world. Her service journey began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay resulting in a life transforming experience for her and those she has served since. Her daughter Elizabeth has been the BEST companion possible in this life adventure.
Podcast Host:
Lee Lacy is a senior leader, management consultant, facilitator and coach whose career in international and national programs spans four decades. She is a founding member of Women of Peace Corps Legacy. Lee has served in several senior positions for the Peace Corps. In these roles, she worked with Peace Corps Volunteers and staff making the transition to different cultural contexts. She serves as a job search counselor for the Foreign Service Institute’s Transition Center providing assistance to Foreign Service officers preparing for a second career or retirement. As a trainer and director of the Overseas Briefing Center, Lee conducted cross-cultural and re-entry training for foreign affairs employees and their families. She has lived and worked in Samoa, Nepal, Armenia, and Afghanistan.
Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women and girls empowerment to create a more just, equitable, inclusive, and safe world for future generations. WPCL seeks to partner with and highlight the work of those existing organizations and programs that are effectively addressing the issues of women and girls.