Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Anita Friedman. Anita currently serves as the Director of Arlington County’s Department of Human Services (DHS), where she oversees the delivery of services to approximately 50,000 Arlington residents striving to maintain a healthy, safe and economically secure life.

Featured Guest:
Anita has been with DHS for 15 years, also serving as Deputy Director and Economic Independence Division Director. In her role as DHS Director, she has been instrumental in major initiatives to reduce homelessness, expand behavioral health services, strengthen the social safety net, and center racial equity in the Department’s policies and practices.

Prior to her work in Arlington County, Anita worked for over 20 years in international development, managing social and economic development programs, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. She held senior programming and operations positions at the Peace Corps, Latin American Youth Center, Inter-American Foundation, and Partners of the Americas. Anita was awarded Arlington County’s Woman of Vision Award for her work on conducting the 100 Homes for 100 Homeless Arlingtonians Campaign. Anita has a Masters degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelors degree from Vassar College.

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.

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.

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.

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 with USAID 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.

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Dr. Ronda Ansted. She is the creator of My Career Design Studio, an online coaching program designed to support under-resourced communities and individuals with career coaching best practices. She served with the Peace Corps in South Africa as a Community and HIV/AIDS Capacity Builder in 2007.

Featured Guest:
Dr. Ronda Ansted, through her experience and research on international development NGOs and social enterprises, is committed to using career coaching to transform lives, communities, and the world. For more than 20 years, with a primary focus on international development and social services, Ronda has worked with hundreds of people, helping them to translate their skills into rewarding work and meaningful lives.

Past clients have found their calling by working with US Government Agencies such as USAID, multilateral organizations like the World Bank, NGOs, non-profits, and other social impact organizations. Several clients have also started their own social enterprise, leveraging their unique talents, skills, and perspectives to make the world a better place. Her main focus is to help those who want to make a difference design a career path that leads to maximum impact as well as a balanced and healthy life.

Ronda holds a Doctorate of Management from University of Maryland University College, a Master of Social Work from University of Maryland, Baltimore, a Bachelor of Arts in World Studies from the School for International Training.

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.

Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, is Women of Peace Corps Legacy’s “Extra-Ordinary Woman” in this extraordinary episode. She served with the Peace Corps in Oman, and won WPCL’s 2023 Deborah Harding Women of Achievement Award.

Featured Guest:
Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley has had a pathbreaking career in the Foreign Service and has created new opportunities and possibilities for women and minorities. Among her many accomplishments as a U.S. diplomat, she served as a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, focusing on Israel-Palestine relations; became the first woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia where she promoted gender equality and coordinated the largest evacuation of American citizens from a war zone since WWII; and was the longest-serving U.S. ambassador to Malta.

Recently she served as the State Department's first chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility officer. There, her many contributions included helping women and minorities be considered for high-level positions and reducing the importance of the oral exam for entry into diplomatic service. She co-founded the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS), championing accomplished women for senior leadership positions in national security and foreign policy. 

Currently she is the first female president of the Middle East Policy Council, which produces a highly regarded journal, hosts the Capitol Hill Conference Series for policy makers, and offers numerous educational opportunities for teachers, including an exchange programs for students from the U.S. and the Middle East.  

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.

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Kelly Cronen. She currently serves as a Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Advisor in the DRG Center at USAID/Washington.

Featured Guest:
Kelly Cronen became a Peace Corps volunteer in Albania (2003-2005) where she worked with a local civil society support organization and with a shelter for trafficked women. Through this experience she had the opportunity to meet and learn from over 300 women who had been trafficked, which shaped her perspectives on how development programs could be adjusted to be more responsive to communities in which they work.

After her Peace Corps service, she was hired by USAID/Albania where she served as the Anti-Trafficking Advisor until 2009. In this role she oversaw two country-wide programs to address human trafficking in Albania and continued to work closely with survivors in the shelters to ensure that programs were meeting their needs. She then worked for various USAID implementing partners where she has held a variety of leadership roles. This has included serving as the technical lead for Chemonics’ global gender and social inclusion work, and as the Chief of Party (COP) for the USAID-funded Anti-Trafficking Task Order and as COP on the USAID-funded Uganda Youth Leadership in Agriculture Activity.

Over the past two and a half decades, Kelly has spent approximately 11 years living in other countries, with long-term field experience in Slovakia, Albania, Afghanistan, and Uganda.  Through her Washington, DC based roles she has led over 20 short-term technical assessments throughout Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. She speaks Albanian and Spanish and holds a B.A. in International Development and Economics from the University of Guelph, Canada.

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.

Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews two “Extra-Ordinary Women”, Jaynice Del Rosario, the 2022 winner of the Kate Raftery Emerging Leader Award, and Sue Richiedei, the recipient of the 2019 Deborah Harding Women of Achievement Award.

Featured Guests:
Jaynice Del Rosario - “Women and girls know what they need”.
Jaynice was conducting independent research on girls’ lack of access to education in Cameroon in 2010, where she met Peace Corps Volunteers who inspired her. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia from 2013 to 2015. Jaynice served as National Coordinator of Gender and Development, designing and implementing local and regional programs for adolescent girls.

Currently, she serves as Senior Program Officer for the Girls First Fund, a philanthropic collaborative supporting community-based organizations in the Global South that combat child marriage and help girls lead self-determined lives. She has also started a pilot project of her own called the Feminist Idea Lab, through which she plans to directly resource girl-led projects and ideas that have the potential to change the world.

Sue Richiedei - “See the need, take the Lead”.
Sue has spent over 35 years improving the lives of women and girls around the world by ensuring they become leaders, decision makers, and advocates at all levels. Sue served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1976 in northeast Thailand. She understood the importance of improving the lives of girls in a male-dominated society.

Sue has dedicated her life to training, advocacy, and reproductive health service delivery projects. She was the founder and Senior Director of Counterpart International's WomenLead Institute, which focuses on women-centered programming, highlighting the leadership, confidence building, and managerial skills women need to advance. In 2005, Sue designed and launched the Global Women in Management Program (GWIM), which has reached over 1,000 women in 77 countries with month-long leadership workshops, women-to-woman coaching, networking and small grants.

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.

This introduction gives a trailer to  our first guest, Latanya Frett, who will be discussing her journey from a Peace Corps volunteer to a CEO of Global Fund for Women. Our host, Kathleen Corey, will introduce the Women of Peace Corps Legacy and a brief welcome to our new podcast series.

In our first podcast of "Extra-Ordinary Women," Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Latanya Mapp Frett, President and CEO of Global Fund for Women. Latanya, who got her start in international affairs as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho, talks about her journey from Volunteer to CEO of an NGO supporting global gender justice.  Listen in as she discusses her many years of experience including leading Global Fund for Women which has supported grassroots organizations to end civil war in Liberia, provided aid to women's education in Afghanistan, and assisted women's groups in Ukraine.  Her new book, The Everyday Feminist: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact-Driving Movements We Need Now More than Ever, will be discussed as well as Global Fund for Women's film series "Fundamental: Gender Justice: No Exceptions," which was nominated for two Emmy Awards in 2021.

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 Leadership and Management 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.