[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[June 1, 1999]
[Pages 865-866]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Resignation of Mark D. Gearan as Director of the
Peace Corps
June 1, 1999

    Today I am announcing that my good friend and trusted adviser Mark 
Gearan will be leaving his position as the Director of the Peace Corps 
later this summer. Mark has accepted the exciting challenge of serving 
as the next president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, one of our 
Nation's most distinguished academic institutions. The trustees of the 
colleges have made a very wise decision in selecting Mark Gearan as 
their new president. He is gifted, humane, a leader, and deeply 
committed to the education of young people. I know that he will bring 
great vision to the colleges as they enter the next century.
    I have relied on Mark Gearan's skills, wisdom, and talents for many 
years. He was a close aide to me from the time I first sought the 
Presidency; he served as Vice President Gore's campaign manager in the 
1992 election; and he served me in the White House as Deputy Chief of 
Staff and Director of Communications.
    One of the best personnel decisions I have made as President was to 
appoint Mark Gearan as the Director of the Peace Corps. I believe he has 
been one of the most successful Directors since President Kennedy 
established the Peace Corps in 1961. He has rejuvenated the Peace Corps 
and demonstrated a deep commitment to its legacy of service and the 
women and men who serve as Peace Corps volunteers. He can be proud that 
the Peace Corps will

[[Page 866]]

soon have more volunteers serving overseas than at any time in a 
generation.
    Mark strengthened the Peace Corps in many ways. He has established 
the Crisis Corps, a new program within the Peace Corps that enables 
former volunteers to help people in other countries recover from the 
effects of natural disasters and humanitarian crises. He established new 
volunteer programs in South Africa, Jordan, and Bangladesh, and has 
managed the Peace Corps with great skill and care. This record of 
performance has convinced me, and the Congress, that the Peace Corps 
should field 10,000 volunteers, and I was proud to sign into law an 
authorization bill that will put us on the path toward achieving this 
goal by the year 2003.
    I thank Mark for his friendship and service. Hillary and I will miss 
Mark, his wife, Mary, and their two daughters, 
Madeleine and Kathleen. We wish them the very best as they take this new 
step in their lives.