Jody Olsen -- A Million Miles: My Peace Corps Journey

Join us for a talk with acclaimed local author and former Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen on her recently published memoir: A Million Miles: My Peace Corps Journey.

When Jody Olsen enlisted as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia in 1966, she was fleeing familial tragedy and the stifling societal norms of her Salt Lake City upbringing. However, her service in Tunisia upended her religious and cultural beliefs and propelled her into a six-decade career with the Peace Corps, culminating in her directorship of the agency.

Olsen’s captivating memoir, A Million Miles, reveals the personal and professional challenges she faced throughout her career, which spanned the Reagan era, 9/11, and the Trump administration. She writes candidly about her struggles as a woman in leadership, as well as personal hardships such as the sudden death of her brother and her emotionally difficult divorce after her husband’s coming out. This memoir is a sharp, vulnerable portrait, a testament to the transformative power of leadership and self-discovery.

Josephine (Jody) Olsen served as Peace Corps Director, 2018 – 2021, a Trump presidential appointee.  In March, 2020, because of the COVID outbreak, she led the successful nine-day evacuation of all 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers from 61 countries to the US, never done before. Today she co-chairs Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) and is chair of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation Park Advisory Committee and the Univ. of MD, College of Education Board of Visitors, and on the Maryland Governor’s Commission for Service and Volunteerism.

Jody received a BS from the University of Utah, and a Master’s and PhD from the University of Maryland. Her many awards include University of Maryland President’s Award, University of Utah’s alumni of the year award, and two honorary doctorates. She has also been a Resident Fellow at the IOP Harvard Kennedy School.