Jody K. Olsen, PhD, MSW '72
Jody K. Olsen, PhD, MSW ’72
Former Director of the Peace Corps
Jody Olsen, PhD, served as the 20th Director of the Peace Corps between March 2018 – January 2021. With the global COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Olsen led the evacuation of all 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers from 61 countries safely back to the United States.
Dr. Olsen began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Tunisia. She also served the agency in five other senior positions, including Deputy Director. Prior to returning to the Peace Corps in 2018, Dr. Olsen was Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland-Baltimore School of Social Work and Director of the University’s Center for Global Education.
Dr. Olsen received a BS from the University of Utah, a master’s in social work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2022, she was a Resident Fellow at the IOP Harvard Kennedy School.
Among her awards, she has received the University of Maryland President’s Award, the University of Utah’s alumni of the year award, and two honorary doctorates
