Title: How Government Can Help People: Interview with Mark Gearan, An
Abstract: Although immediate and primary mission of Peace Corps is to serve other countries, there are many domestic dividends, agency's current director tells Mr. Goldberg. IN SEPTEMBER 1995, with his wife holding Bible, Vice President Al Gore officiating, and smiling President Clinton in background, Mark Gearan was sworn in 14th director of Peace Corps, which he calls the best job in Washington. Gearan had worked in rough- and-tumble Presidential campaign of 1992 Vice President Gore's campaign manager, had acted deputy director of President Clinton's transition team, and had served for more than two years in West Wing of White House assistant to President, director of communications, and White House deputy chief of staff. Nevertheless, he retains bright and youthful enthusiasm for both government service in general and his work with Peace Corps. Gearan speaks appreciatively of Peace Corps an enormous national treasure and of his own great good fortune as Irish Catholic son of Massachusetts to have chance to be part of Peace Corps, President Kennedy's greatest legacy -- tremendous honor and privilege. Mark Gearan was born in 1955 in Gardner, Massachusetts, into family that valued education and public service. His mother served on school committee, his father was high school principal, and several close family members were classroom teachers or guidance counselors. Always interested in government, by age 12 Mark was leafleting for Fr. Robert Drinan, who served for 10 years member of U.S. House of Representatives from Gearan's district. When he obtained his driver's license at 16, Gearan began driving for Father Drinan, and during his undergraduate years at Harvard he served summer intern in Drinan's Washington, D.C., office. By 1978, just out of college, he was working in Drinan's campaign press secretary. This thoughtful, committed political leader was Gearan's first mentor in government service. Gearan recalls that Drinan showed him firsthand what government could do and difference it could make in people's lives. When you grow up in small town, you get to see how government can help people. From 1978 to 1995, Gearan had succession of work experiences that prepared him extremely well for his current job. He served press secretary and later chief of staff for Berkley Bedell, representative from Iowa and a wonderful member of Congress with great integrity. Gearan's knowledge of Iowa was big help in his next job, working on Presidential campaign of Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. After that, he worked with Democratic Governors' Association and came to know Gov. Richard Celeste of Ohio, who had served director of Peace Corps under President Carter. It was at this time that he also got to know young governor of Arkansas. And this connection led to Gearan's campaign work in 1992 and to his subsequent White House assignments. Virtually all of my working life has been in government service, Gearan says, noting exception of very short stint journalist. And each government job gave him contact with excellent mentors. When Gearan learned in early summer of 1995 that Carol Bellamy, director of Peace Corps, was moving to UNICEF, he asked for job because it's so singular in government. The Peace Corps was established by President Kennedy in March 1961 and has sent more than 160,000 volunteers to 132 countries over past 37 years. The basic mission of Peace Corps has never changed: * to provide volunteers who contribute to social and economic development of interested countries; * to promote better understanding of Americans among people whom volunteers serve; and * to strengthen Americans' understanding of world and its peoples. Education has always been at heart of work of Peace Corps volunteers, Gearan says. …
Publication Year: 1998
Publication Date: 1998-11-01
Language: en
Type: article
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