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Peace Corps CEO discusses Vermont’s high volunteer rate ahead of Brattleboro visit

CEO Spahn visits the Dominican in preparations for Peace Corps return to service.
peacecorps.gov/Courtesy of the Peace Corps
Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn, center, seen here in the Dominican Republic, will visit Brattleboro Aug. 13.

Host Mikaela Lefrak talks with Carol Spahn, the CEO of the Peace Corps, ahead of her visit to Brattleboro, where she will speak at the School for International Training’s 56th commencement ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 13.

The Peace Corps is getting back up to speed after the COVID-19 pandemic halted volunteering overseas. Many of the countries that the Peace Corps serves were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, Spahn said.

Spahn also talks about how Vermont ranks second among states in terms of the number of Peace Corps volunteers it sends per capita. She said it was likely because of Vermonters' strong global and service mindset.

SIT and the Peace Corps’ relationship goes back to the 1960’s, when The Experience in International Living created the first ever Peace Corps training program. Those training activities led to the establishment of SIT in 1964.

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Tedra worked on Vermont Edition as a producer and editor from 2022 to 2024.