The Honorable Carol Spahn served as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps and now holds positions as the Rice Professor of the Practice at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs at the University of Denver and as the Presidential Executive in Residence at Colorado State University.
Carol led the Peace Corps through a historic rebuilding and revitalization following its first-ever global evacuation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, more than 3,000 Volunteers returned to service in 61 countries, and new country programs were launched in Vietnam, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, and Palau. She led an agency-wide transformation that integrated quality assurance, modernized recruiting and operations, and expanded service models. She also served the Peace Corps as Country Director in Malawi, Chief of Operations for the Africa Region, and as a Small Business Development Volunteer in Romania following the fall of communism.
Beyond the Peace Corps, Carol has led initiatives across sectors to drive sustainable social change. As Executive Director and Board Secretary of Accordia Global Health Foundation, she worked to strengthen health systems and address infectious diseases in Africa during the height of the HIV epidemic through an African-owned and -led center of excellence. At Women for Women International, Carol spearheaded strategic initiatives and operations to support women survivors of war, focusing on economic empowerment and social inclusion. Her leadership at Small Enterprise Assistance Funds facilitated private equity investments in small and medium enterprises in emerging markets, promoting entrepreneurship and economic growth. Earlier in her career, she worked in financial services at GE Capital Romania and KPMG Peat Marwick.
Carol is passionate about inspiring the next generation of changemakers and actively engages with advisory bodies and organizations to shape the national dialogue on foreign assistance, civic bridge building, and public service. She serves on the Board of Directors of Corps Africa, whose mission is to empower African youth by shifting the development sector from external aid reliance to a focus on local ownership and community-led solutions. She also serves on the National Advisory Board of More Perfect, a bipartisan initiative to engage institutions in renewing American democracy.
She is a frequent speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics related to international development, service, and public diplomacy.
Carol holds a Master of Arts degree in international affairs from George Washington University’s Eliott School of Foreign Affairs and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.