Core Field: Political Leadership

In 1997, Madeleine Korbel Albright was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States, becoming the first woman to hold that position and, at the time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government

The Academic

Albright is the first Michael and Virginia Mortara Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and the first Visiting Saltzman Fellow at Columbia University’s Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies.

Dr. Albright received her B.A. with Honors, from Wellesley College, Masters and Doctorate from Columbia University’s Department of Public Law and Government, as well as a Certificate from the Russian Institute.

The Author

Dr. Albright’s autobiography Madam Secretary: A Memoir was published in September, 2003. It is the fascinating recount of an unusual road to a very powerful position, ashaped Madeleine Albright

The Speaker

Dr Albright is a witty and sharp speaker, who excels during question & answer sessions. She has the courage to tell it the way it is, and often leaves the audience chuckling and bursting into spontaneous rounds of applause.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments during former Secretary Albright ’s tenure included the expansion and modernization of NATO and NATO’s successful campaign to reverse ethnic cleansing in Kosovo; the promotion of peace in the Balkans; the reduction of nuclear dangers from Russia; the expansion of democracy in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America; the expansion of our multifaceted relationship with China including trade as well as human rights; and the growth of trade in the Americas, in Africa through the African Growth Opportunity Act, and through the conclusion of hundreds of other agreements that facilitated American business overseas.

As Secretary, Dr. Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade and business, labor, and environmental standards abroad

• 2001 U.S. Senator John Heinz Award Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official
• 2001 NAESP's Distinguished Service To Education Award

In Business & in Office

Dr. Albright is the founder of The Albright Group LLC, a global strategy firm. She is the chairman of The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Chair of The Pew Global Attitudes Project and president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.

From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of the President’s Cabinet. In 1995, she led the United States delegation to the United Nation’s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

Dr. Albright was the Director of Women in Foreign Service Programs and a Research Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University during the decade prior to her return to public service. From 1989 to 1992, she was President of the Center for National Policy, a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington D.C. As a professor, Dr. Albright wrote extensively on change in communist systems particularly on the role of the media.

From 1978 to 1981, Dr. Albright was a member of President Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff. From 1976-78, she served as Chief Legislative Assistant to United States Senator Edmund S. Muskie.

She also serves on the Council on Foreign Relations and the Board of Trustees for the Aspen Institute.