- Date of Birth: November 14, 1954
- Place of Birth: Birmingham, Alabama
Condoleezza “Condi” Rice (born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who broke numerous barriers as the first female African-American Secretary of State (2005-2009) and the first woman to serve as National Security Advisor (2001-2005). A member of the Republican Party, she is known for pioneering Transformational Diplomacy to expand democratic governments, particularly in the Greater Middle East.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, during the era of racial segregation, Rice was inspired by her parents to be “twice as good” to overcome injustice. A former child pianist, she earned her B.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Denver and an M.A. from the University of Notre Dame. Her academic focus was the Soviet Union, studying under Josef Korbel. She later became the youngest, first female, and first African-American Provost of Stanford University (1993-1999) before joining the George W. Bush administration.
As National Security Advisor, she helped craft the response to the September 11 attacks and advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, famously warning that “we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” As Secretary of State, she was a key figure in six-party talks with North Korea and negotiated a historic civilian nuclear agreement with India. Since leaving office, Rice has returned to Stanford as a professor and the director of the Hoover Institution. She is also a Cleveland Browns fan and served on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
