Madeleine Korbel Albright, the mother of three daughters, was nominated
by President Clinton on December 5, 1996 as Secretary of State.
After being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she was sworn in as
the 64th Secretary of State on January 23, 1997. Secretary Albright is the
first female secretary of state and the highest ranking woman in the U.S. government.
Prior to her appointment, Secretary Albright served as the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations and as a member of President Clinton's Cabinet
and National Security Council.
Secretary Albright formerly was the President of the Center for National Policy.
The Center is a non-profit research organization formed in 1981 by representatives
from government, industry, labor and education. Its mandate is to promote the
study and discussion of domestic and international issues.
As a Research Professor of International Affairs and Director of Women in Foreign
Service Program at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, she taught
undergraduate and graduate courses in international affairs, U.S. foreign
policy, Russian foreign policy, and Central and Eastern European politics,
and was responsible for developing and implementing programs designed to
enhance women's professional opportunities in international affairs.
From 1981 to 1982, Secretary Albright was awarded a fellowship at the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian following
an international competition in which she wrote about the role of the press in
political changes in Poland during the early 1980's.
She also served as a Senior Fellow in Soviet and Eastern European Affairs at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies, conducting research
in developments and trends in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
From 1978-1981, Secretary Albright was a staff member on the National Security
Council, as well as a White House staff member, where she was responsible for
foreign policy legislation. From 1976-1978, she served as Chief Legislative Assistant
to Senator Edmund S. Muskie.
Awarded a B.A. from Wellesley College with honors in Political Science,
she studied at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins
University, received a Certificate from the Russian Institute at Columbia University,
and her Masters and Doctorate from Columbia University's Department of Public Law
and Government.
Secretary Albright is fluent in French and Czech, with good speaking and reading
abilities in Russian and Polish.
She is truly phenomenal and has acheived great repsect and status for herself
and all women everywhere. She sets the example that women can assume all roles
in society, corporate, and government spheres.
Find out more about Madeleine K Albright
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