“Selected by MillionPodcasts as one of the Top 50 Volunteer Podcasts (#5), Top 25 UNICEF Podcasts (#2), and Top 15 Peace Corps Podcasts (#1) on the web!”
This podcast interviews Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) who, through their leadership, have made a significant difference in the lives of women around the world. The podcast founders, Kathleen Corey, Maryann Minutillo, and Lee Lacy have interviewed women on a range of topics, including non-profit management, counter-trafficking and Peace Corps service. As of November 2025, we’ve released 15 podcasts and have over 2,000 downloads in 56 countries.
Our Newest Podcast Featuring:
Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan
Find all of our Extra-Ordinary Women Podcasts
on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Watch our Podcast Highlights:
We’re All Over The World!
Podcast Founders and Hosts:
Kathleen Corey
Kathleen Corey, who goes by “Corey”, facilitates leadership and orientation courses at FSI. She is a public diplomacy-coned retired Foreign Service Officer working in Honduras, Argentina, and Mexico. Corey worked on the Afghan Task Force designing a training a cross-cultural curriculum for Afghans resettling in the US. She has extensive experience with Peace Corps serving as Country Director in both Sri Lanka and North Macedonia, as well as the Asia-Pacific Regional Director. She negotiated bilateral Peace Corps country agreements for China and Cambodia and led the establishment of 15 Peace Corps programs in the former Soviet Union states and China. Corey held leadership positions as the President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Seattle where she served on the National World Affairs Council board and as the Executive Director of World Vision Seattle and Tacoma, where she was part of a thirteen-person leadership team of World Vision USA. Corey also taught a graduate-level applied linguistics course at George Mason University.Corey was a cross-cultural and ESL trainer for nine years after the Vietnam war in refugee camps in Southeast Asia and Africa, preparing Lao, Cambodian,Vietnamese, and Ethiopian refugees for resettlement in the U.S. Corey was a Peace Corps Volunteer and Volunteer Leader in Liberia, West Africa.
Maryann Minutillo
Maryann has an extensive career in international development and public service.
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.Prior to her work at Peace Corps, Maryann was Director of the Department of State’s Family Liaison Office where she oversaw community, education and family support programs at the State Department and United States Embassies throughout the world. She lived and worked in Bahrain as a teacher trainer for nurses and midwives at the faculty of the College of Health Sciences and spearheaded a United Nations funded project aimed at improving pre-natal care and reducing infant mortality through work with trained midwives and traditional birth attendants in rural communities. Maryann is a founding member of Women of Peace Corps Legacy and has served as a mentor for mid-level professionals at Peace Corps for WPCL since the program began. 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.
Lee Lacy
Lee Lacy is a seasoned facilitator, educator, coach and program manager with over 25 years working in the federal sector. Since 2014, Ms. Lacy has facilitated more than 75 leadership and management courses for the Leadership and Management School. She has coached more than 90 Foreign Service and Civil Service Officers who were transitioning to second careers or retirement through the Transition Center’s Job Search program. Ms. Lacy served with Peace Corps for more than 18 years in a variety of senior positions. As the Armenian Country Director, she led the Peace Corps program supporting the development efforts of 100 Americans and staff and served on the Ambassador’s country team. She collaborated with officials in various ministries to ensure program alignment with Armenia’s development goals. As Chief of Peace Corp’s Field Assistance Office she led the Agency’s technical assistance to American and foreign national staff in more than 70 countries to increase their program management effectiveness. As the Chief of Operations for the Asia-Pacific Region she provided daily oversight of Peace Corps operations in 16 countries. Ms. Lacy holds an M.S. Degree in Social and Organizational Learning from George Mason University; an M.A. Degree in Education from Stanford University; a certificate in Organizational Development from Georgetown University and was an Associate Certified Coach through International Coach Foundation.