Problem
Peace Corps leadership requires a consistent, data-driven framework to evaluate the performance and strategic alignment of its ~60 country Posts. Decision-making regarding resource allocation—such as whether to grow, maintain, or reduce Volunteer levels—was challenging without a standardized methodology to compare diverse Posts on common strategic dimensions. The agency needed a robust tool to move beyond anecdotal evidence and provide actionable insights for strategic oversight and operational support.
Methodology
As the Chief of Strategic Planning for Peace Corps, my role was to develop and implement the Country Portfolio Review (CPR) after a multi-year hiatus. The CPR was a comprehensive quantitative assessment tool mandated by the Kate Puzey Act but not formally conducted after the 2020 evacuation of volunteers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Data Collection & Analysis: Aggregated and cleaned data from over a dozen internal and external sources (e.g., DOVE, financial systems, annual Volunteer surveys, MCC Scorecards). This involved processing approximately 50 distinct indicators for each Post, grouping them into five strategic categories: Country Partnership, Country Need, Safety & Security, Post Cost, and Post Management.
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Modeling & Technique: Designed a composite indexing model to provide a holistic performance score. This involved normalizing each of the ~50 indicators to a common scale, calculating a weighted score for each of the five categories, and then aggregating these into a final CPR score and rank for each Post. A key innovation was incorporating a “Recruitability Index” derived from a separate cohort analysis of applicant conversion rates to better inform the “Post Cost” category.
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Communication & Strategy: Developed a suite of data visualizations (heatmaps, ranked charts, geographic maps) to present the complex results to senior leadership, regional directors, and country directors. I created a framework for user-defined weighting scenarios, allowing leadership to test how different strategic priorities (e.g., maximizing impact vs. ensuring program stability) would alter Post rankings and inform resource allocation discussions.
Outcome
The CPR provides the Peace Corps with its first standardized, repeatable tool for comprehensive portfolio assessment, directly informing key operational and strategic decisions.
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Strategic Impact: Equips senior leadership with a clear, evidence-based framework to guide discussions on resource allocation and the strategic direction of the country portfolio. It enables data-informed decisions on which Posts are positioned for growth, require additional support, or may need strategic realignment.
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Operational Impact: Offers Regional and Country Directors a diagnostic tool to understand their Post’s specific strengths and weaknesses across the five categories. The detailed indicator-level scorecards allow for targeted interventions and the identification of best practices that can be shared across the agency, enhancing operational efficiency.
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Knowledge Impact: Established a durable and replicable analytical methodology for portfolio review within the Peace Corps. The process of integrating diverse data sources into a single index has created a valuable data asset and a new standard for performance measurement and strategic dialogue within the agency.