Despite enduring a childhood rife with racial adversity, Condoleezza Rice has risen above challenging circumstances to become one of the world’s most influential women in global politics. Rice’s special blend of moxie, intelligence, and passion for her work led to a fruitful career that has made her a recognised icon worldwide.
Although Rice initially intended to study piano, she soon gave up that dream in favour of a political career. At university, Rice was awarded a B.A., cum laude, in political science, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. Her early career accomplishments included becoming the first African-American female Provost at Stanford University.
When President George W. Bush named Rice as his National Security Advisor in 2000, she became the first female in history to hold that position. After the September 11, 2001, attacks, she played a crucial role in developing the most aggressive foreign policy the U.S. has ever seen. During her term in office, wars were launched in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, Rice’s most notable achievement is her appointment as the 66th U.S. Secretary of State in 2005. This made her the first female African-American to assume this prominent role. Many would agree that Rice earned the President’s trust to a degree that no one had ever managed to before. As a result, she was able to enter negotiations, conduct diplomacy, and deal with international organizations, which are activities the Bush administration rarely engaged in during its first term.
Besides reopening negotiations with North Korea, Rice constructed the terms of a United Nations resolution to investigate war crimes in Sudan and convinced President Bush to endorse negotiations Germany, France, and Britain had initiated with Iran. In addition to being fluent in French and Russian, Rice has penned several books including No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington and a bestseller called Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family.
No stranger to public speaking, Rice is scheduled to address a massive congregation at the 2012 Global Leadership Summit. The two-day event features world-class speakers and aims to transform Christian leaders by providing an injection of inspiration, vision, and skill development for the benefit of the local church. Rice is expected to share the principles she has followed when making decisions that have inevitably shaped some of the world’s greatest events.
