FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, January 8, 1998

Paquette Appointed to Regional Director for Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia at the Peace Corps

Washington, D.C., January 8, 1999—Ellen Paquette has been appointed the regional director for the Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia region, Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan announced today.
"Ellen brings to this position more than 20 years of strong experience and sound judgment in a broad range of operational, policy, and procedural issues," said Gearan. "Her outstanding leadership will continue to be a great benefit to the region and to the entire agency."
Paquette, 48, who resides in Lovettsville, Va., has been chief of operations for the region since June 1997, where she oversees 2,000 volunteers and hundreds of staff in 24 countries. Previously, she was the Peace Corps country director for four years in Morocco, and Peace Corps training manager for two years in the same country.
From 1976 to 1983, Paquette was associate Peace Corps director for education, training director, and technical trainer, all in Liberia. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer there as well from 1972 to 1975, where she taught English and helped organize and maintain a school library.
In addition, Paquette served for three years as executive director of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in the southwest United States. She has taught English to Haitian refugees and independent living skills to the blind in Boston. She also spent a year teaching at a leper colony in Liberia.
Paquette holds a bachelor\'s degree in English from the University of New Hampshire, and a master\'s degree in international educational development from Boston University. She is fluent in French and is a licensed private pilot.
Currently, nearly 6,700 Peace Corps volunteers are working in 80 countries in the areas of business, the environment, education, health and nutrition, and agriculture. Since 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps.

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