Global Playground Appoints Amanda Cordray as Executive Director

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Board of Directors of Global Playground, Inc. is thrilled to announce that it has appointed Ms. Amanda Cordray as its next Executive Director. Ms. Cordray’s appointment is effective December 1, 2021.

Ms. Cordray is not new to Global Playground. In 2015, after graduating from William & Mary, Ms. Cordray joined the organization as a Thailand Teaching Fellow. In that capacity, she taught English at Global Playground’s project sites in the mountains of Northern Thailand, in the country’s Mae Hong Son province. After completing her fellowship, Ms. Cordray worked at Operation Groundswell as Program Leader and facilitated experiential education backpacking programs based in ethical tourism in partnership with local NGOs in Thailand and Cambodia.

Following her time in Southeast Asia, Ms. Cordray relocated to the U.S. and supported USAID’s ENVISION project as a Project Associate working at RTI International in Washington, D.C. She then moved to the U.K. and enrolled at SOAS, University of London and graduated with a Master of Science in Development Studies. Ms. Cordray has since returned to the U.S. and currently works for Chemonics International, supporting the USAID-funded Global Health Supply Chain – Procurement and Supply Management project. Ms. Cordray is also the co-chair of Chemonics’ LGBTQI+ Inclusion Technical Working Group and is an active member of Chemonics' Safeguarding Working Group as well. Concurrently, Ms. Cordray will serve on a part-time basis as Global Playground’s Executive Director.

“We could not be more excited to have Amanda back,” said Doug Bunch, Chair of Global Playground’s Board of Directors. “Amanda’s passion for education in the developing world was immediately obvious the moment she stepped foot on our project sites six years ago. As a Teaching Fellow, she helped drive the cross-cultural dialogue that we aspire to. We look forward to her leadership as we move forward.”

“The Teaching Fellowship in Thailand launched my career, and I’m honored to once again have the opportunity to serve the mission of Global Playground and lead the organization at a time when global educational infrastructure and especially cross-cultural dialogue are at a critical need, ” said Ms. Cordray. 

Ms. Cordray’s appointment also marks the end of Ryan Drysdale’s term as Executive Director. Mr. Drysdale held a distinguished tenure at Global Playground, joining the organization in 2010 as its first Teaching Fellow, and then served on the Board of Directors until 2013 before being appointed as Executive Director in January 2019. Under his leadership, Global Playground funded nine new infrastructure projects in communities across the globe. 

“I first met Amanda in a classroom in Northern Thailand in 2016 while I was working with Operation Groundswell,” said Ryan Drysdale, Global Playground’s outgoing Executive Director. “I was happy that Amanda filled my role at Operation Groundswell and am thrilled that once again I can pass the leadership baton to Amanda who I’m confident will take Global Playground to higher heights.”

Global Playground thanks Mr. Drysdale for his deep commitment to the organization, and his strong and transformative leadership.

Amanda with students in Khe Sanh, Vietnam.