Carol Spahn

Carol Spahn is the Rice Family Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs. Spahn was appointed as Acting Director of the Peace Corps by President Joseph R. Biden on his first day of office and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, serving from 2021 to 2025. With more than thirty years of leadership experience across government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, she has lived and worked in Malawi and Romania and led teams throughout Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the United States. During her tenure at the Peace Corps, she rebuilt and revitalized agency operations following the first-ever global evacuation of Volunteers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, returning more than 3,000 Volunteers to 61 countries. She oversaw agency-wide modernization efforts in quality assurance, training, compliance, and data-driven decision-making, while establishing new country programs in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, and Palau. She also secured the agency’s first budget increase in seven years, to $430 million, and represented the Peace Corps in high-level delegations to 27 countries. Previously, Spahn served as Chief of Operations for the Africa Region, Country Director in Malawi, Senior Vice President of Operations at Women for Women International, and Executive Director of Accordia Global Health Foundation. Her career began as a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG before transitioning into international development and finance. She speaks frequently, both nationally and internationally, on public service, international development, and leadership.