Nov. 20, 2025

#15 - Aaron Williams

Show Notes

As a young man, Aaron Williams challenged the norms of his peers by aspiring to see beyond his neighborhood and become a Peace Corps volunteer. It was something they did not see coming. But then, Aaron likely even surprised himself when—after two decades of work in the private sector and with USAID—he became the Peace Corps’ 18^th Director.

Aaron Williams served as the Peace Corps Director from 2009 to 2012. He is currently a Senior Advisor at RTI International. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in public service and the private sector. As a senior official at USAID and a member of the Senior Foreign Service, he was awarded the Distinguished Career Service Award. He was twice awarded the Presidential Award for Distinguished Service.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is on the board of directors of the Ron Brown Scholarship program and Child Fund International; he is also on the advisory board for George Washington University’s Elliott School. Previous board positions include CARE, the National Peace Corps Association, and the Institute of Sustainable Communities.

He is the author of two books. His autobiography is A Life Unimagined: The Rewards of Mission-Driven Service in the Peace Corps and Beyond, and most recently, The Young Black Leader’s Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs.