From the Peace Corps to chief people officer: How service shaped my approach to leadership

When I joined the Peace Corps at 21, I didn't realize I was signing up for one of the most powerful leadership development experiences imaginable.

For my project, I went to Antigua where I worked with the Ministry of Education to train teachers and government officials in computer literacy, build educational materials, and help schools integrate new technology. I had one desktop computer, a dial-up modem, and a lot of responsibility. I come from a family of educators, and that mission is very noble and personal to me. That two-year experience shaped the way I think about leadership and service to this day and continues to influence how I lead as chief people officer at Payoneer, a global company with more than 2,500 colleagues from all around the world. 

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Here are five lessons from the Peace Corps that continue to guide my approach to HR and leadership:

1. Leadership begins with service
Volunteering in the Peace Corps is about service: transferring knowledge, building understanding, and working shoulder-to-shoulder with others to make something better.

That perspective fundamentally shaped how I see my role in HR. I approach leadership as an act of service: I'm here to add value in ways people actually need. Sometimes that means helping a manager grow, improving a process, or supporting teams through change. But always leading with a service mindset.

At Payoneer, that principle is central to our culture. We exist to empower our customers, partners, and employees to succeed on their own terms.

2. You don't need authority to lead
When I arrived in Antigua, I had no title and no formal power. I was a young volunteer in a foreign country, trying to train experienced educators without formal training in education myself.

I learned quickly that leadership doesn't come from position, it comes from credibility, competence and care. I had to earn trust by listening, showing up, and proving that I was there to help, not direct.

Today, I carry that same philosophy into HR leadership. Influence is built through authenticity and consistency, not hierarchy. Whether leading a transformation project or guiding senior leaders, the goal is the same: aligning around purpose and earning buy-in through trust.

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3. Resourcefulness builds resilience
The Peace Corps teaches you to do a lot with very little. I had to design curricula, set up computer labs, and even help paint schools, with little to no resources. That forced me to think creatively, stay adaptable and rely on collaboration.

Those skills are invaluable in HR. The ability to stay agile, iterate and create from scratch has been critical throughout my career. At Payoneer, this mindset has helped us scale global people programs efficiently and sustainably, even as our workforce has grown rapidly and entered new markets.

4. Inclusion starts with curiosity
One of the keys to success in the Peace Corps is integrating into the community. A third of volunteers don't finish their service, and the ones who do are usually those who immerse themselves. For me, that meant learning the local dialect, joining a steelpan band, and genuinely getting to know people and their stories.

That curiosity is the foundation of inclusion. In a global organization, differences can either divide or inspire. When you approach people with openness and interest, you create trust, and from trust comes collaboration.

At Payoneer, where our teams represent dozens of nationalities, we build inclusion not just through programs but through shared purpose. We channel curiosity about one another's differences into creativity, innovation and common direction.

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5. Empathy and judgment are core to great HR
The Peace Corps experience is immersive and visceral. You see people at their best and their most challenged. You learn that empathy and clear judgment aren't opposites, they're partners.

In HR, that balance is essential. We have to make decisions that impact people deeply on pay, promotions, or organizational change and it's impossible to please everyone. What matters is listening actively, understanding perspectives and focusing on the greater good. Empathy helps people feel seen. Clear judgment ensures decisions are fair and sustainable. Together, they build credibility and trust.

Bringing it all together
The Peace Corps taught me that progress happens one relationship at a time, through listening, service and shared effort. Those same principles underpin the work we do in HR: helping people grow, empowering leaders, and connecting teams to a shared mission. Leadership, at its best, is a form of service. And that's a lesson I'll carry with me for life.

Read Davis's EBN Manager Diaries interview here.