Corporations, Federal Agencies Pledge to Hire AmeriCorps and Peace Corps Alumni
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Peace Corps and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, announced new commitments by private, public, and nonprofit sector employers to hire AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alums.
Announced by President Obama at the White House in September 2014 as part of the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps, Employers of National Service builds a talent pipeline which connects AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni with leading employers.
Today’s announcement includes Boys Town USA, Delta Air Lines, and MasterCard; federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Small Business Administration; as well as the City of Kansas City, Mo. Altogether, the organizations employ more than 200,000 individuals.
The announcement was made at an event celebrating Peace Corps Week and AmeriCorps Week, annual events designed to recognize the valuable impact Peace Corps volunteers and AmeriCorps members have across the country and around the globe. In honor of Women’s History Month, Carrie Hessler-Radelet, director of the Peace Corps, and Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS, the first female to hold the title in the agency’s history, joined Megan O’Neil, news editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, for a conversation about opportunities that a year of national service can create.
Since the President’s launch of the initiative in 2014, more than 350 companies, nonprofits, and public agencies have signed on as Employers of National Service including Disney, Comcast, NBC Universal, CSX, Sodexo, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, United Way Worldwide, the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the National Science Foundation, the cities of Nashville, Philadelphia and Phoenix, the states of Montana and Virginia, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of State.
“National service develops essential skills that make AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni valuable assets for organizations and companies seeking great employees,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “We are honored that some of our nation’s leading private, nonprofit, and public employers are recognizing that AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni are strong leaders who are motivated, flexible, innovative, and outcome-oriented. By taking this step, all our new Employers of National Service are making a smart move to attract talented, dedicated, and experienced leaders to work to their workforce.”
“We live in an increasing interconnected world and multicultural U.S.,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “By signing on as Employers of National Service, these organizations are supporting a unique talent pipeline of Peace Corps and AmeriCorps alumni who can speak other languages, understand other cultures, negotiate with people who have different world views and find commonality with our own. Alumni of our service corps don’t just do good as volunteers and as service members; they have an incredible array of skills and experiences to contribute to the workplace.”
“Delta Air Lines is proud to be an Employer of National Service. This win-win partnership provides Delta with highly qualified alumni from venerable national service institutions who embody our Rules of the Road core values and join our airline ready for a challenge. We look forward to this growing relationship,” said Joanne Smith, Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Delta Air Lines
“The Department of Labor values the important contributions of our employees who are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and former AmeriCorps members, so we are proud to be named an Employer of National Service,” said Chris Lu, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Labor. “Whether your service was in a farming community in Asia or an inner city nonprofit in the United States, we hope civic-minded individuals who seek to continue their service will consider careers at the Department of Labor, where we work to expand economic opportunity for all Americans.”
Altogether, more than 1.2 million Americans have served in AmeriCorps and Peace Corps. More than 960,000 individuals have participated in AmeriCorps since its inception in 1994. AmeriCorps members serve communities across the country through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, City Year, Teach For America, and the American Red Cross.
Since 1961, more than 220,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers, developing lasting relationships with community members overseas as they work toward sustainable change that lives on long after their service. Peace Corps volunteers serve in more than 60 countries around the world. Participants in both programs have worked as educators, emergency responders, economic development advisors, disaster preparation and recovery leaders, and counselors.