Condoleezza Rice (pron.: /ˌkɒndəˈliːzə/; born November 14, 1954) is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush.
Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state, as well as the second African American (after Colin Powell), and the second woman (after Madeleine Albright). Rice was President Bush's National Security Advisor during his first term, making her the first woman to serve in that position. Before joining the Bush administration, she was a professor of political science at Stanford University where she served as Provost from 1993 to 1999. Rice also served on the National Security Council as the Soviet and Eastern Europe Affairs Advisor to President George H.W. Bush during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and German reunification.
| 66th United States Secretary of State | |
|---|---|
| In office January 26, 2005 – January 20, 2009 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Richard Armitage Robert Zoellick John Negroponte |
| Preceded by | Colin Powell |
| Succeeded by | Hillary Clinton |
| 20th National Security Advisor | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – January 26, 2005 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Stephen Hadley |
| Preceded by | Sandy Berger |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Hadley |
| Provost of Stanford University | |
| In office 1993–1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Gerald Lieberman |
| Succeeded by | John Hennessy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 14, 1954 (age 61) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1982) Republican (1982–present) |
| Alma mater | University of Denver University of Notre Dame |
| Religion | Presbyterianism |
Following her confirmation as Secretary of State, Rice pioneered the policy of Transformational Diplomacy, with a focus on democracy in the Greater Middle East. Her emphasis on supporting democratically elected governments faced challenges as Hamas captured a popular majority in Palestinian elections, and influential countries including Saudi Arabia and Egypt maintained authoritarian systems with U.S. support. While Secretary of State, she chaired the Millennium Challenge Corporation's board of directors.
In March 2009, Rice returned to Stanford University as a political science professor and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution. In September 2010, Rice became a faculty member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a director of its Global Center for Business and the Economy.
