FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, January 28, 1997

Donald Mooers Named Peace Corps Director for Europe, Central Asia and the Mediterranean

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 28—Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan has appointed Donald L. Mooers Jr. to be the agency\'s regional director for Europe, Central Asia and the Mediterranean. Mooers, a former Peace Corps volunteer and senior State Department adviser on the former Soviet Union, will oversee the activities of more than 1,400 Peace Corps volunteers in 21 countries in the region, as well as the opening of a new Peace Corps program in Jordan this spring.
"Don\'s professional accomplishments following his volunteer service exemplify the finest traditions of talented Americans first drawn to public service through the Peace Corps," Gearan said. "He brings a wealth of experience to this challenging job and will provide excellent leadership for our staff and the Peace Corps volunteers serving in the region." Mooers, 36, of Kensington, Md., was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress in Maryland\'s 8th Congressional District last year. He replaces Frederick O\'Regan, who left earlier this month to head the International Fund for Animal Welfare, based on Cape Cod. From 1993-95, Mooers served as senior adviser to the coordinator of U.S. assistance to the former Soviet Union. He successfully negotiated multilateral agreements and helped coordinate U.S. assistance with the European Union and a number of international financial institutions.
For almost five years prior to that, Mooers worked for Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA), a non-profit organization providing targeted volunteer technical assistance to rural communities throughout Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Latin American, Africa and Asia. He served as VOCAÍs Country Director in Poland, as well as Deputy Director of European Programs, where he was responsible for programs in seven Eastern European countries.
After graduating from Duke University in 1981, Mooers began his career in public service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone from 1982-1984. He then earned a law degree from the George Washington University in 1986, served as a Fulbright Fellow in Mauritius, and worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Joseph Brennan (D-Maine).

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