Condoleezza Rice To Speak At USF

SAN FRANCISCO – Condoleezza Rice, the second woman and first African American woman to hold the post of Secretary of State, will speak at the University of San Francisco (USF) this Thursday on Jan. 26. Rice is the inaugural guest in the university’s Silk Speakers Series, created by USF alumnus and investment expert Jeff Silk and his wife Naomi, to bring international thought leaders to campus for insights on business, finance and global issues.

Beginning with a dialogue conducted in a fireside chat format with Jeff Silk, Rice will discuss her decades-spanning career, ranging from how her early years in the segregated South influenced her political views, all the way through her role as National Security Advisor during the 9/11 attack. They will also cover the Presidential election and how the emergence of nationalism in both the U.S. and Europe may affect trade, economies and labor markets. Following the conversation, Rice will answer questions from the audience.

“Condoleezza Rice is an accomplished scholar, political scientist, and diplomat,” said Elizabeth Davis, dean of the USF School of Management. “We are honored to have such a bright star joining us for the inaugural event of our Silk Speaker Series. With politics and global events so front of mind this month, her experiences and insights promise to be especially timely.”

Condoleezza Rice is currently the Denning professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson senior fellow on public policy at the Hoover Institution; and a professor of Political Science at Stanford University.

From January 2005-2009, Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States during President George W. Bush’s second term in office. She was also assistant to the President for national security affairs (National Security Advisor) from January 2001-2005, the first woman to hold the position. A noted global politics scholar, Dr. Rice was Senior Director of Soviet and East European Affairs to President George H.W. Bush during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and German reunification. She was Stanford University’s provost from 1993-1999, during which she was the institution’s chief budget and academic officer. As provost, her responsibilities included a $1.5 billion annual budget and the academic program involving 1,400 faculty members and 14,000 students. In 1997, she also served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Gender-Integrated Training in the Military.