FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, November 19, 1997

Anthony Pinder Named Peace Corps Director of Minority Outreach and Scarce Skill Initiatives

Washington, D.C., November 19, 1997—Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan has appointed Anthony (Tony) Pinder to be the agency\'s director of minority outreach and scarce skill initiatives. In his new position, Pinder, 34, will develop and implement strategies to attract volunteers with specialized skills and backgrounds. "Tony\'s professional accomplishments following his volunteer service exemplify the finest traditions of talented Americans first drawn to public service through the Peace Corps," said Gearan. "He brings a wealth of experience to this challenging job and will provide excellent leadership to our recruitment efforts." Prior to his Peace Corps appointment, Pinder served as the acting national director of program development/grants management at The United Negro College Fund (UNCF). At UNCF, he played a leading role in the development and implementation of national corporate, foundation and federal government giving programs for UNCF\'s annual fund-raising campaigns. In addition, Pinder produced two UNCF publications, one of which complements the Peace Corps\' scarce skill initiatives to attract science, engineering and mathematics candidates. Pinder began his professional career as a grain futures trader at the Kansas City Board of Trade for two years. Before joining UNCF\'s senior management, he was a senior program officer with the African-American Institute in Washington, D.C. Pinder\'s involvement with the Peace Corps began in 1987, when he served as small business volunteer in Ecuador. Subsequently, he was selected as a Peace Corps Management Fellow, during which time he served the Africa Region as a budget analyst and worked in the agency\'s Atlanta office, recruiting at historical black colleges and universities. From 1990 to 1993, Pinder was associate Peace Corps director for administration and acting country director in Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa. A native of Philadelphia, Pinder attended Walter B. Saul Sr. High School. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in finance in 1985 from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and in 1995 earned a master of arts degree in international economics and Latin American studies from The Johns Hopkins University\'s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Pinder currently resides in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

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