Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Department of State Archive
A Women’s History Month Special
Condoleezza Rice
She is a pianist, a professor, a diplomat, and a remarkable leader who became our first female National Security Advisor as well as the first female African American Secretary of State. Condoleezza Rice was an influential negotiator on the international stage and a champion of democracy and education.
According to the Department of State’s Office of the Historian, Condi, as she is affectionately known, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Denver, her master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, and her doctorate from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
Condoleezza became an associate professor of political science at Stanford specializing in the Soviet Union. Lecturing on the subject at a meeting of arms control experts, she impressed the National Security Advisor under President George H.W. Bush Brent Scowcroft, who soon after appointed Condi director of Soviet and East European Affairs on the National Security Council.
In 1992 Condoleezza returned to Stanford, becoming a tenured professor a year later and earning the position of Provost which she held until 1999. She also served on the boards of Chevron, Transamerica Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard. In 2001 this extraordinary woman became the 19th National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush who, four years later, nominated her to become the 66th Secretary of State where she was known for her diplomatic efforts.
Today we honor one of America’s most impressive and influential women!
