News

The Directory is located in the Members Section of the website. Only logged in members can utilize this feature. To Log in, enter the email address and password you used to register your RPCVW.org account in the login box at the upper right hand corner of your screen. It would be a good idea to bookmark this page and save the password for future use, as we will be adding more to the Members Section in the near future. If you forgot your password, you can reset it here. 

Upon accessing the Directory, you will see a listing of all current RPCV/W Members. Clicking a name reveals additional information about that person, and allows you to send a message by clicking the button at the top left of the page. You can change your profile settings by clicking "View Profile" and clicking "Edit." Be sure to keep all your information up to date.

We encourage our members to utilize this feature freely. Search your country and see if there are others in our organization who you may have known. Read bios and contact interesting people. Any RPCV should be willing to spare a few moments to offer advice or guidance to another. Enjoy! 

August 29, 2012 After three years of leading the agency, Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams announced that he will be stepping down. The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. (RPCV/W) would like to thank Director Williams for his loyal service to our nation and his friendship with our organization.   Director Williams undertook leading the agency during a time of dramatic political changes. Shortly after becoming Director, he was able to obtain the largest funding in the agency’s history. Then, the outcome of the 2010 midterm elections resulted in the enforcement of budget austerity. Congressional oversight and media coverage was also heightened due to safety and security incidents, some of which preceded him.    Yet, despite these hurdles, Director Williams managed to help the agency thrive by implementing changes to ensure the safety of volunteers and by opening programs in Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Colombia, Tunisia and Nepal. Furthermore, under his tenure, Peace Corps and RPCV/W worked closely together on a number of initiatives, including our Professional Development Initiative and speed networking events, Peace Corps Community Town Halls, and a historic public commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps. Director Williams strengthened the Peace Corps family, and for that, we thank him.                              Chris Austin, Kenya 03-05 President Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, DC

During each annual retreat, the newly-elected Board of Directors refines the Mission of RPCV/W to reflect its goals for the year.

Here is our 2012-2013 Mission Statement:

The Board unanimously voted to adopt this streamlined mission statement because it best summarized our priorities. RPCV/W is dedicated to building social, professional, and community relationships that uphold the values of the Peace Corps, and all our events and activities will encompass a part of this plan. Our slogan, "Bringing the experience home," remains unchanged.

2012 RPCVW Letter to the Morgan Messenger

Our new Professional Development Director, Laara Manler, contributed this article to the Spring 2012 issue of WorldView Magazine. Read about the origins of our Mentoring program and how it helps new arrivals in DC.

Visit our Professional Development page to browse our jobs feed, find networking events around the city, and connect with other DC RPCVs on Linkedin. Contact Laara via email if you're interested in participating in a ProfDev event or advertising a job through our network.

Service Unites Us

Our very own Professional Development Director contributed this article to the Spring 2012 issue of WorldView Magazine detailing his approach to orchestrating which has been wildly popular among members and mentors alike.

Visit our Professional Development page to browse our jobs feed, find networking events around the city, and connect with other DC RPCVs on Linkedin.

The Ruppe Award is presented by the NPCA to an outstanding member group for a project or projects that promote the Third Goal of Peace Corps or continue to serve host countries, build group spirit and cooperation, and promote service. The purpose of the award is not only to recognize the great work that NPCA’s groups are doing, but also to generate ideas that other groups may emulate in their communities.

Named for the legendary 10th Director of the Peace Corps who fought for a well-equipped, independent agency, the Ruppe Award will be presented to RPCV/W Outreach Director Laara Manler at the NPCA’s Annual Gathering in Minneapolis on June 30. 

RPCV/W is very proud to receive this distinction and will continue to offer more events to its members and engage in more service projects with its community partners. An engaged, active membership is the key to our success. We encourage our members to vote for the next Board and look forward to another productive year.

Online voting runs from today until June 30, the day of the Summer Barbecue. There, we will have a final round of voting for those who did not vote online. Those results will be added to the online tallies and the winners will be announced. 

We hope for a high-turnout election. RPCV/W has grown dramatically in the past year and we plan to keep it up with an ambitious set of goals for the future. Thanks to everyone who makes this organization the joy that it is.

Now Vote!

We had our last happy hour of the year yesterday, and were happy to gather with the good folks of Bethesda. Our next event is the summer barbecue on June 29 at the Capital Yacht Club on the SW Waterfront. There we will tally the votes for next year's leadership and connect with old friends. It won't hurt that there will also be a fully catered barbecue feast and an open bar. 

We hope you can make it out, and be sure to share it with friends. Visit our events page for details. Many thanks for giving us an exciting year.