Charles "Chic" Dambach

2023 Hall of Fame

B.A. Speech Communication and Rhetoric '67

Charles “Chic” Dambach attended Oklahoma State University on a football scholarship but found his true calling off the field.

During his time at OSU, Dambach met former debate coach Dale Stockton, who sparked in Dambach a desire to analyze social issues and speak up for what he believed in. When he hung up his No. 51 football jersey for the final time after a career-ending injury, Dambach was able to focus on advocating for change — first at the university level during the Vietnam War, and then throughout his career.

After graduating from OSU in 1967 in speech — before earning a master’s degree in 1977 from Wake Forest University — Dambach volunteered for the Peace Corps and was sent to Colombia. His work in a small fishing village led to him becoming president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association decades later.

Dambach and Congressman John Garamendi, another Peace Corps alumnus, helped the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea reach an agreement to end their border war, and the two men played similar roles helping the Democratic Republic of the Congo end a civil war.

Over the years, Dambach has worked with many organizations devoted to peace and acceptance, including serving as the CEO of Alliance for Peacebuilding from 2005-11 and director and CEO for Operation Respect from 2003-05 and 2016-17, respectively. Dambach was a senior consultant with BoardSource, where he helped write two books on nonprofit governance. He also served as chief of staff for Congressman Garamendi. In 2020, he retired as an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins and American universities after serving for almost a decade.

Along the way, the president of the west African nation Mali designated him a “knight” — the highest honor the country bestows on any foreigner. In addition, OSU’s School of Global Studies inducted him into the Henry G. Bennett Distinguished Fellowship.

In his memoir, Exhaust the Limits, the Life and Times of a Global Peacebuilder, Dambach recounts a lifetime of service and successful initiatives for peace, including being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

In 2022, the Dambach Peacebuilder Endowed Fellowship Fund was established as a part of OSU Global to honor Dambach, “whose dedication to the work of peacebuilding has had a significant impact on the lives of people worldwide,” the fellowship’s website states.

After receiving the College of Arts and Science Distinguished Alumni award in 2004, he wrote in his book that he wanted the rising generation to challenge the status quo, explore the world, and “embrace friendships as life’s greatest treasure.”

“Make friends — make lots of them, nurture them and cherish every one of them,” Dambach wrote. “And, serve your community and your world. Become part of the powerful force of civilization. Lives filled with friendship and service become lives of purpose and joy.”