Interview with Elizabeth Pou, August 9, 2021
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Elizabeth Pou is a lawyer by training. She headed human resources for a media corporation in New York City. She then set up a consulting practice focused on small business development. At the age of 59 she decided to apply to Peace Corps. She wanted a sabbatical with a spiritual experience as well as something challenging. She was invited to work in Armenia with the Community Economic Development project. Elizabeth was assigned to Armenia Caritas, a humanitarian NGO. Her role was to provide advice on entrepreneurial initiatives. While language was difficult, her colleagues were able to assist with translations for training events and follow-up consultations. Elizabeth was instrumental in helping Caritas receive a 300K euro grant to implement their services. She also wrote the TOT manual on how to implement the program. Elizabeth participated in an English Club, taught business English, and provided strategic planning for start-ups. Armenia, June 2007 to August 2009, Community Economic Development sectorInterview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
lawyer corporate law media corporation Atlanta Los Angeles New York City Ashville, Tennessee small business consulting senior Volunteer sabbatical spiritual adventure Armenia down-sizing Vanadzor training center Shahumyan training community language difficulty entrepreneurship culture Yerevan capital Gyumri work site housing Armenia Caritas NGO dynamic women humanitarian earthquake corruption Lavash flat bread Marshutmi Van business English English club strategic planning grant writing entrepreneurship training Training of Trainers manual Participatory Research Action lessons learned universality cultural values Thanksgiving relationships farmer to farmer SCORE CDFI tolerance patienceInterview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Pou, Elizabeth Interview by Randolph A. Adams. 09 Aug. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Pou, E. (2021, August 09). Interview by R. A. Adams. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Pou, Elizabeth, interview by Randolph A. Adams. August 09, 2021, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7190mtlqd39