Josephine King Olsen (born 1942) served as the 20th Director of the Peace Corps from 2018 to 2021. She was appointed by President Donald Trump, and sworn in on March 30, 2018, after being confirmed by the Senate.

Early life and education

Olsen was born in Utah and moved to Maryland in 1959 after her father,

David S. King David Sjodahl King (June 20, 1917 – May 5, 2009) was a United States House of Representatives, representative from Utah. He was a member of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Party. Early life and education King was born in S ...

, was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat. Her grandfather,

William H. King William Henry King (June 3, 1863November 27, 1949) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Salt Lake City, Utah. As a Democrat, King represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1917 until 1941. Life King was born in Fillmore, U ...

, represented Utah in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from 1917 to 1941. Olsen graduated from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland in 1961. Olsen received a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah as well as a master's degree in social work and doctorate in human development from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Career

Olsen worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia from 1966 to 1968. From 1979 to 1981, she served as the Country Director in Togo before becoming the Regional Director for North Africa, Near East, Asia, and Pacific (NANEAP) from 1981 to 1984. From 1984 until 1989, Olsen served as Vice President of Youth for Understanding, a national student exchange organization. She was the Peace Corps Chief of Staff from 1989 to 1992, the executive director of the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) from 1992 until 1997, the senior vice president of the Academy for Educational Development from 1997 until 2002, a development consultancy. and the Deputy Director of the Peace Corps from 2002 to 2009. She also served for a time as acting country director for Kazakhstan. After leaving the Peace Corps in 2009, Olsen served as Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland - Baltimore School of Social Work and Director of the University's Center for Global Education Initiatives. Olsen was nominated to be the Director of the Peace Corps on January 3, 2018. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 22, 2018.

Personal life

Olsen grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2005, she was still identified by ''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'' as a Mormon."D.C. Mormons:The Players"
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'', April 10, 2005.

References

External links

* 1942 births American people of Swedish descent Living people Peace Corps directors People from Bethesda, Maryland University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni University of Utah alumni Latter Day Saints from Utah Trump administration personnel {{US-gov-bio-stub