February 13, 2026 | 6:00–7:15 PM EST | In-person
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC, 20001
5th Floor Auditorium
Join the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and co-host the National Peace Corps Association in this closing program for Peace by Design: Posters, Poems, and the Spirit of the Peace Corps exhibit. This public conversation brings together Black former Peace Corps Volunteers to reflect on how service abroad continued to shape their lives after returning home.
Through candid storytelling and dialogue, panelists share how global experience informed the choices they made, the roles they stepped into, and the ways they continue to engage with the world around them.
Hosted at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the program situates these personal journeys within a broader civic and historical context, echoing Dr. King’s vision of justice, global responsibility, and the power of service. Together, these stories invite audiences to consider how experience, reflection, and purpose can shape one’s career and the world around us.
Guests are invited to view the exhibit beginning at 5:30 PM. The panel discussion will begin at 6:00 PM.
Museum Director Zack Klim is honored to MC the event with co-hosts Jennifer Erie, Board Member of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (Panel Moderator) and Carla Brown, President and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association (Panelist). Read more about the co-hosts and panelists below.
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.
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.
Panel Participants
J. Henry (Hank) Ambrose is a retired telecommunications executive and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served as a mathematics lecturer at Kenyatta College in Nairobi with Peace Corps Kenya from 1971–1973. He earned a B.S. in mathematics through the Peace Corps/College Degree Program at SUNY Brockport and holds an M.S. in statistics from the University of Cincinnati and an M.B.A. from The George Washington University. Hank has served as a university lecturer and professor and was a member of the National Peace Corps Association Board for six years, including one year as Board Chair.
Troy Blackwell Jr. is an award-winning communications executive and former presidential appointee with nearly 15 years of experience leading strategic communications across government and the private sector. From 2022 to 2024, he served as Chief Spokesperson and Director of the Office of Press Relations at the Peace Corps, where he led global media relations across 64 countries and spearheaded the agency’s landmark Bold Invitation campaign as the first openly LGBTQ+ person appointed to the role. Troy has also held senior communications leadership positions at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and advised major companies, bringing a global, inclusive perspective to public service and leadership.
Carla Brown has held multiple leadership roles with the National Peace Corps Association and was selected to serve as its next President and CEO beginning January 1, 2026. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in the Comoros Islands from 1992–1994, teaching English and supporting maternal and child health initiatives. Her service launched a 25-year career in international development, including senior leadership roles with Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Medical Mission Board, where she managed large, multi-sector humanitarian programs across sub-Saharan Africa.
Claudette P. David is a Haitian-American national policy and advocacy leader whose approach to coalition-building and community engagement was shaped during her Peace Corps service in Gabon as a Community Health Educator. Living and working alongside grassroots leaders taught her that sustainable change comes from relationship-building, collective action, and community-led power. She now leads multi-state coalitions advancing immigrant justice, civic engagement, and democratic participation. She also serves as a three-time elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Washington, DC.
Nicole Lee-Mwandha serves as the Homeless Education State Coordinator at the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, where she leads statewide policy, funding, and data initiatives to ensure educational access and stability for children and youth experiencing homelessness across the District. Prior to that, she worked in DC Public Schools, The Maya Angelou Academy and Covenant House with a focus on advocacy education and homeless youth services. She was a Peace Corps volunteer focused on youth development in St. Lucia from 1999-2001.
Jaleel Johnson is a Legal Orientation Specialist at Ayuda, where he helps low-income immigrants navigate the immigration and justice systems and access critical support services. He is a lifelong advocate for the underrepresented, dedicating his professional efforts to international development, humanitarian assistance and to immigration relief. After witnessing gaps in opportunity and access both locally and abroad, he has worked in pedagogy and community organizing to assist people in reaching their maximum potential. A Morehouse College graduate and Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica, Jaleel enjoys hiking, photography, travel and tennis.
Museum Co-Hosts
Jennifer Erie is an international development leader, diplomat, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in South Africa from 1999-2001. She spent more than 15 years as a Foreign Service Officer with USAID, leading global health, humanitarian, and community development initiatives across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Jennifer brings a deep commitment to storytelling, equity, and cross-cultural understanding, and to preserving how Peace Corps service shapes lives long after service ends. She is a member of the Board of Directors at the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and serves on the Development Committee.
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.
