FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, November 10, 1998

EARL YATES TO HEAD PEACE CORPS OPERATIONS IN AFRICA

Washington, D.C., November 10, 1998—Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan has appointed Earl Yates to be the agency\'s regional director for Africa, overseeing the activities of nearly 2,500 Peace Corps volunteers in 29 countries.
"Earl brings to this position a long and distinguished career in African development, including his most recent tenure as the first Peace Corps country director for South Africa," said Gearan. "Earl\'s leadership was critical in laying the groundwork for Peace Corps\' historic entry into South Africa in the post-apartheid era. I am confident that Earl\'s exceptional leadership, creativity, and expertise will be a great benefit to our Africa operations and to the senior management team."
Yates, 54, of Washington, D.C., began his new duties yesterday. Prior to becoming Peace Corps country director in South Africa two years ago, Yates worked for nearly 10 years for the Academy for Educational Development. Among other duties there, he managed 20 technical assistance and training projects with total budgets of close to $250 million. The projects were all over the developing world, including southern Africa.
Yates has also served as managing director of the Consulting Group, Inc., where he directed an education project in South Africa for two years. His career includes positions with the Africa Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and the House of Representative\'s Subcommittee on Africa.
He earned a bachelor\'s degree in Spanish and French from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a master\'s degree in international relations from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He has also pursued graduate studies at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
Currently, more than 6,500 Peace Corps volunteers serve in 80 countries around the world, bringing clean water to communities, teaching children, helping start new small businesses, and preventing the spread of AIDS. Since 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.

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