In 1993 Dr. Creekmore was appointed to the joint position of program director of The Carter Center and vice provost for international affairs at Emory, a position he held until 1996. While at The Carter Center, he coordinated many of the international activities of former US President Jimmy Carter. From 1996 to 2000 he served as Emory's vice provost for international affairs and director of the Claus M. Halle Institute for Global Learning. A career American diplomat from 1965-1993, Dr. Creekmore served as US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Republic of Maldives from 1989 to 1992. Other overseas postings included South Africa, Ghana, Germany, and India; in New Delhi he held the position of deputy chief of mission. Ambassador Creekmore's policy assignments in the US State Department in Washington included deputy assistant secretary of state for international organizations affairs; deputy director of the secretary of state's policy planning staff, and deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs; and deputy Afghan coordinator. A native of Tennessee, Dr. Creekmore received a BA degree from Vanderbilt University, and a MA. and PhD degrees from Tulane University.

Jimmy Carter was the 39th US President. Significant foreign policy accomplishments of his administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of US diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. He championed human rights throughout the world. On the domestic side, the administration's achievements included a comprehensive energy program conducted by a new Department of Energy and major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. In 1982, he founded The Carter Center. Carter Center fellows, associates, and staff join with President Carter in efforts to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease and other afflictions. On December 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."