Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews an “Extra-Ordinary Woman”, Kelly Cronen. She currently serves as a Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Advisor in the DRG Center at USAID/Washington.

Featured Guest:
Kelly Cronen became a Peace Corps volunteer in Albania (2003-2005) where she worked with a local civil society support organization and with a shelter for trafficked women. Through this experience she had the opportunity to meet and learn from over 300 women who had been trafficked, which shaped her perspectives on how development programs could be adjusted to be more responsive to communities in which they work.

After her Peace Corps service, she was hired by USAID/Albania where she served as the Anti-Trafficking Advisor until 2009. In this role she oversaw two country-wide programs to address human trafficking in Albania and continued to work closely with survivors in the shelters to ensure that programs were meeting their needs. She then worked for various USAID implementing partners where she has held a variety of leadership roles. This has included serving as the technical lead for Chemonics’ global gender and social inclusion work, and as the Chief of Party (COP) for the USAID-funded Anti-Trafficking Task Order and as COP on the USAID-funded Uganda Youth Leadership in Agriculture Activity.

Over the past two and a half decades, Kelly has spent approximately 11 years living in other countries, with long-term field experience in Slovakia, Albania, Afghanistan, and Uganda. Through her Washington, DC based roles she has led over 20 short-term technical assessments throughout Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. She speaks Albanian and Spanish and holds a B.A. in International Development and Economics from the University of Guelph, Canada.

Podcast Host:
Maryann Minutillo has an extensive career in international development and public service. She is a founding member of Women of Peace Corps Legacy and a co-founder of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation. She has served as a mentor for mid-level professionals at Peace Corps for WPCL since the program began. Prior to her work at Peace Corps, Maryann was Director of the Department of State’s Family Liaison Office. In this position she oversaw community, education and family support programs at the State Department and United States Embassies throughout the world. She was Peace Corps Country Director in Bolivia, Acting Regional Director and Chief of Operations for the Inter-America and Pacific Region and Senior Advisor to six Directors of Peace Corps. Throughout her life, Maryann has had a strong interest in cultural adaptation and the impact of international transition and crisis situations on families and particularly on women’s careers.

Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women and girls empowerment to create a more just, equitable, inclusive, and safe world for future generations. WPCL seeks to partner with and highlight the work of those existing organizations and programs that are effectively addressing the issues of women and girls.