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Carol Spahn, M.A. ’00

Director of the Peace Corps
Keynote Address

Hannah Jackson

B.A. International Affairs '23
Student Speaker

Carol Spahn's Biography

Carol Spahn was sworn into office as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps on December 21, 2022.

Director Spahn has more than 25 years of public and private sector experience and has worked in countries around the world on issues ranging from small business development and infectious disease prevention to women's empowerment.

She most recently served as the Peace Corps' chief executive officer and, prior to that, as acting director. Previously, Director Spahn was also the Peace Corps’ chief of operations in the Africa Region and the country director of Peace Corps/Malawi.

Director Spahn’s Peace Corps roots extend back to when she was a Volunteer from 1994 to 1996 in Romania, where she served as a small business advisor.

Before returning to the Peace Corps as country director, Director Spahn was senior vice president of operations at Women for Women International, an organization serving marginalized and socially excluded women in conflict affected countries. Prior to that, Director Spahn served as executive director of Accordia Global Health Foundation, a nonprofit focused on creating sustainable centers of excellence in health in Africa. She served as vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer of Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, a nonprofit private equity fund manager that invests in small- and medium-sized companies in developing countries. She has also held positions at leading private sector institutions, including GE Capital and KPMG Peat Marwick.

Director Spahn holds a bachelor's degree from the Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in international development from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.

Hannah Jackson's Biography

Hannah Jackson is a candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs with a double concentration in International Development and Comparative Economic, Political, and Social Systems from Atlanta, GA. Hannah has interned with Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. House of Representatives, and Chemonics International. Most recently she published research on the spread of violent extremist organizations in West Africa and completed an internship at the Center for International and Private Enterprise. She is the Founder of GW Young Black Professionals in International Affairs and plans to pursue a career in public service exploring the nexus between security policy and international development.

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