Pete La Raus has been working in international development for over 20 years. He began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia and has since worked in Africa, Asia and the Americas. He has been Country Director in Colombia, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Panama. Pete most recently worked in the US as Chief Operating Officer Volunteers of America, Oregon (VOAOR) which focuses primarily on behavioral health as well as childcare and eldercare. He was also the COO for  Whole Child International, a small nonprofit dedicated to child protection in El Salvador and India. Pete is fluent in Spanish and is based in Portland OR.

Pete is a graduate of Bowdoin College where he got his B.A. in International Relations and Spanish with a minor in Economics. He received his Masters in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.