Global peace, public service impassion Elizabeth O'Malley '78

Global peace is more than an abstract concept to Elizabeth O'Malley '78. Since graduating from UC Irvine with an anthropology degree, she has been fascinated by issues of cultural diversity, social change and how people of different backgrounds can work and thrive together.

O'Malley began her career in Sierra Leone as an agriculture volunteer with the Peace Corps, then headed to Uganda, where - again with the Peace Corps - she developed teacher training programs and healthcare classes for families affected by HIV/AIDS. Most recently, she worked in Austria, coaching organizations on how to leverage Vienna's multicultural environment and encourage acceptance of diversity in the schools.

Between posts, O'Malley earned a master's in international public administration and a doctorate in environmental anthropology. Now she has taken all she's learned to a new level as the Peace Corps' country director in Tanzania. Here are her thoughts on volunteerism, public service and her experience at UCI.

Q. What kind of training did you get at UCI for all this?
A. I was in the School of Social Sciences, and although there wasn't an actual anthropology degree offered at that time, students could work with a professor to design a curriculum focusing on particular interest areas - which would then allow the professor to sign off on a specialized degree. So I was able to get a bachelor's in anthropology, something I was passionate about.

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