Aaron Williams, Former Peace Corps Director, Joins Spirit of America’s Board of Advisors

ARLINGTON, VA – Spirit of America, a nonprofit that harnesses the power of the American people and private philanthropy to support U.S. national security, announced today that the Hon. Aaron Williams, former director of the Peace Corps, has joined its Board of Advisors.

“From his Peace Corps volunteer work in the Dominican Republic to leading the Peace Corps and helping shape U.S. foreign assistance, Aaron’s lifetime of service gives him a deep understanding of how America’s power of inspiration serves our national security interests,” said Jim Hake, Spirit of America Founder and CEO. “His guidance will be invaluable as Spirit of America expands our work supporting the missions of U.S. troops and diplomats in the world’s toughest places.”

Williams brings to Spirit of America extensive experience in the strategic design and management of assistance programs in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. “Spirit of America has created a unique approach for supporting America’s global engagement with innovative and effective projects that provide interested Americans with important opportunities to assist both our troops and diplomats on the front lines,” he said.

Williams’ long and distinguished career in public service started as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. He then served for 22 years at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), rising to the rank of career minister in the Senior Foreign Service and earning the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in 1988 and 1992 and the USAID Distinguished Career Service Award in 1998.

In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Williams as director of the Peace Corps, a position he held for three years. In 2015, President Obama appointed him as the US alternative representative to the executive board of the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Williams currently serves as senior advisor-emeritus for international development and government relations at RTI International, a nonprofit research institute. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Chicago State University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Learn more about Spirit of America’s Board of Advisors: spiritofamerica.org/about/board-and-advisors

About Spirit of America

Spirit of America is a privately funded nonprofit that unites the American people with US troops and diplomats in common cause: to defend freedom, strengthen security, and save and improve lives.

Spirit of America has an unprecedented partnership with the US military, formalized through an agreement with the Department of Defense. This partnership allows military personnel to collaborate with Spirit of America, identify needs, receive and distribute assistance, and provide logistical support.

Spirit of America has implemented over 1,600 projects in 114 countries in support of America’s national security.

No endorsement of Spirit of America by the US Department of Defense, Department of State, or their personnel is intended or implied.