October 16, 2025 | 7:00–8:30 PM EDT | Online Event
Join the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience for a special online celebration of the new exhibition Peace by Design: Posters, Poems, and the Spirit of the Peace Corps, now on view at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.
Museum Director Zack Klim is honored to host former Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Meleia Rose, Peter Redmond, and Eileen Conoboy for a reflective conversation on the creation and enduring meaning of the Peace Corps Pledge.
Participants will also get a special behind-the-scenes look at the Museum’s latest exhibit from Zack Klim and a sneak preview of upcoming exhibit-related programming.
Registration
This event is free and open to the public. A suggested donation of $25 will support the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and make future events like this one possible.
A confirmation email will be sent with the event link and program details.
Panel Description: The Origin Story of the Peace Corps Pledge
How did a few words come to define the spirit of Peace Corps service? This panel brings together the people who conceived, wrote, and implemented the Peace Corps Pledge—a defining commitment that became official a decade ago.
Hear firsthand from Meleia Rose, the original author of the pledge, and Carrie Hessler-Radelet, the visionary former Peace Corps Director who proposed the idea. They’ll be joined by current and former Peace Corps staff who helped shape, test, and carry the pledge forward (see complete bios below). Together, they’ll explore how the pledge has evolved from a simple idea into a cultural cornerstone of Peace Corps identity and service—and how it continues to inspire Volunteers today.
About the Exhibition
Peace by Design: Posters, Poems, and the Spirit of the Peace Corps reveals how peace takes shape—in bold recruitment posters of the 1960s and 70s, in small acts of service, and in the words of poets. The exhibition transports visitors into the early years of the Peace Corps, where idealism met design, citizen diplomacy, and the enduring power of art.
Learn more in our press release.
Speakers
Carrie Hessler-Radelet is a lifelong advocate for global service and education who served as the 19th Director of the Peace Corps (2014–2017) and previously as Acting and Deputy Director. A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa (1981–83), she led sweeping reforms to strengthen Volunteer safety, training, and impact, and she launched the agency’s first comprehensive strategic plan in decades. Under her leadership, the Peace Corps Pledge was adopted, reaffirming Volunteers’ lifelong commitment to service and cultural understanding. Today, as President and CEO of Global Communities, she continues to advance citizen diplomacy, local leadership, and sustainable development worldwide.
Meleia Rose is an Advisor to the Board of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience. She started her Peace Corps journey as an education volunteer working in Malamo, Malawi. Following service, she joined the Peace Corps as a recruiter and later became a Third Goal Program Specialist. She developed and supported a wide range of cross-cultural programming including coordinating Peace Corps Week, alumni group activities and storytelling events. Since then she has worked as a program analyst and learning specialist in federal agencies. She is currently an HR specialist for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). She holds a B.A. in biology from Hartwick College and an M.A. in Geography from Michigan State University.
Peter Redmond brings decades of leadership in public diplomacy and international development to his role as Director of the Center of Excellence in Foreign Affairs Resilience at the U.S. Department of State. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, with concentrations in negotiation, conflict resolution, and public leadership. Prior to joining State, Redmond served many years at the Peace Corps, including roles as Senior Advisor for Global Operations, Deputy Associate Director, and Country Director in Panama. His deep experience in volunteer management, diplomacy, and institutional innovation positions him as a bridge between service communities and global governance.
Eileen Conoboy served as Deputy Director and Acting Director of AmeriCorps VISTA and has held multiple leadership roles at the Peace Corps, including Director of University Programs and Director of Third Goal and Returned Volunteer Services. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali and currently works as Peace Corps’ Director of Programming and Training in Ghana. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from West Virginia University and a Master of Philosophy in International Peace Studies from Trinity College, Dublin.
Zack Klim joined the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience as Executive Director and Chief Curator in January of 2023. He is a Sociologist by training and a scholar-practitioner in international education with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. Prior to the Museum, Zack served as Executive Director of Global Affairs at New York University’s school of education. There he collaborated with faculty to launch dozens of academic programs worldwide, and forged hundreds of partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, INGOs and other organizations to deliver internships and service learning. Zack was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Bangladesh, public school teacher in New York City, human rights educator in Burma/Myanmar, and a teacher trainer in Costa Rica and Honduras.
