Tighe came to Direct Relief International from the Peace Corps. His contributions to the Peace Corps' great legacy of service began when he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, where he helped young Thai children gain an education and promoted cross-cultural understanding with the people in that rural village.
Then, from 1993 to 2001, he served first as Associate General Counsel and then as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer at the agency's headquarters, where he played a vital role in supporting more than 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers in 77 countries and establishing new Peace Corps programs in South Africa, China and Bangladesh.
From 1989 to 1993, Tighe served as a counsel on the United States Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. During this service on Capitol Hill, he was a tireless advocate for U.S. veterans. He developed policies and helped expand federal programs that helped veterans receive treatment for mental health problems and drug and alcohol abuse, and worked to improve services for homeless veterans.
Contribution: He leads one of America's most effective international humanitarian relief organizations.
Other Education: University of California, Berkeley, and the Hastings College of the Law