Gaddi Vasquez

Gaddi H. Vasquez
8th United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
In office September 7, 2006 – 2009?
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Tony P. Hall
Succeeded by	Ertharin Cousin
16th Director of the Peace Corps
In office 2002–2006
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Mark L. Schneider
Succeeded by	Ron Tschetter
Personal details
Born	January 22, 1955 Carrizo Springs, Texas
Political party	Republican
Profession	Law enforcement Government Corporate Executive

Gaddi Holguin Vasquez (born January 22, 1955) was the 8th United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, in Rome, Italy. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on June 29, 2006. Vasquez was sworn into office on September 7, 2006, by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and served in the position until 2009. Prior to that, he was the first person of Hispanic ancestry to head the Peace Corps.

Born in Carrizo Springs, Texas, Vasquez is a Mexican American and the son of migrant workers. Vasquez grew up in poverty. He kept a photo of him and his father on his desk at the Peace Corps. "I have this here as a reminder every day," said Vasquez. "I lived in Third World conditions without having to go overseas." Vasquez's family lived in a trailer in Watsonville, California and worked as migrant workers until Vasquez went to first grade. "I remember that when I was very young, people who were homeless - they were called hobos then - would come up and bang on the door and literally ask for a meal. My mother would tell them to wait on the porch or wait outside and she |would cook them a burrito, notwithstanding our own limitations. I watched this over and over again," he said, so much so that it became known, "If you needed a meal, go down to the Vasquez house." The family moved to Orange County, California where his father went to work in a furniture factory in Los Angeles and eventually to the Apostolic Church in Orange, where he served as Pastor until his passing. Vasquez went to school in Orange, to Santa Ana College and then on to the University of Redlands. "I was the first one to graduate college," Vasquez said. Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Edison International and Southern California Edison

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