Image of Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice

Person

Former Secretary of State advising the White House on taking out the Iranian regime.


First Mentioned

3/10/2026, 7:15:18 AM

Last Updated

3/10/2026, 7:21:53 AM

Research Retrieved

3/10/2026, 7:21:52 AM

Summary

Condoleezza Rice is a distinguished American diplomat, political scientist, and academic who served as the 66th United States Secretary of State (2005–2009) and the 19th U.S. National Security Advisor (2001–2005). She was the first woman to serve as National Security Advisor and the first African-American woman to hold the office of Secretary of State. Born in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, Rice excelled in academia, earning a PhD from the University of Denver before joining the Stanford University faculty in 1981. Her government career began with roles in the State Department and the National Security Council under George H. W. Bush, where she advised on Soviet affairs during the end of the Cold War. As Secretary of State, she pioneered 'Transformational Diplomacy' to promote democracy globally, though her advocacy for regime change strategies in the Middle East remains a subject of significant geopolitical debate. Since 2020, she has served as the Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Education

    PhD in Political Science from the University of Denver (1981)

  • Full Name

    Condoleezza Rice

  • Date of Birth

    1954-11-14

  • Place of Birth

    Birmingham, Alabama, United States

  • Policy Doctrine

    Transformational Diplomacy

  • Political Affiliation

    Republican Party

  • First Female National Security Advisor

    True

  • First African-American Female Secretary of State

    True

Timeline
  • Born in Birmingham, Alabama. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1954-11-14

  • Received PhD from the University of Denver and joined the faculty at Stanford University. (Source: Archives of Women's Political Communication)

    1981-01-01

  • Joined the National Security Council as Director of Soviet and East European Affairs under President George H. W. Bush. (Source: Hoover Institution Profile)

    1989-02-01

  • Appointed as the Provost of Stanford University, serving until 1999. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1993-01-01

  • Appointed as the 19th U.S. National Security Advisor by President George W. Bush. (Source: Britannica)

    2001-01-20

  • Confirmed and sworn in as the 66th United States Secretary of State. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2005-01-26

  • Returned to Stanford University as a professor and fellow at the Hoover Institution. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2009-03-01

  • Assumed office as the 8th Director of the Hoover Institution. (Source: Hoover Institution Profile)

    2020-09-01

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( KON-də-LEE-zə; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 66th United States secretary of state from 2005 to 2009 and as the 19th U.S. national security advisor from 2001 to 2005. Since 2020, she has served as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state and the first woman to serve as national security advisor. Until the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, were the highest-ranking African Americans in the history of the federal executive branch (by virtue of the secretary of state standing fourth in the presidential line of succession). At the time of her appointment as Secretary of State, Rice was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States to be in the presidential line of succession. Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up while the South was racially segregated. She obtained her bachelor's degree from the University of Denver and her master's degree from the University of Notre Dame, both in political science. In 1981, she received a PhD from the School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She worked at the State Department under the Carter administration and 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 from 1989 to 1991. Rice later pursued an academic fellowship at Stanford University, where she served as provost from 1993 to 1999. On December 17, 2000, she joined the George W. Bush administration as national security advisor. In Bush's second term, she succeeded Colin Powell as Secretary of State, thereby becoming the first African-American woman, second African-American after Powell, and second woman after Madeleine Albright to hold this office. Following her confirmation as secretary of state, Rice pioneered the policy of Transformational Diplomacy directed toward expanding the number of responsible democratic governments in the world and especially in the Greater Middle East. That policy 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. backing). While in the position, 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, she became a faculty member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a director of its Global Center for Business and the Economy. In January 2020, it was announced that Rice would succeed Thomas W. Gilligan as the next director of the Hoover Institution on September 1, 2020. She is on the Board of Directors of Dropbox and Makena Capital Management, LLC.

Web Search Results
  • Condoleezza Rice - Wikipedia

    Condoleezza "Condi" Rice (/ˌkɒndəˈliːzə/ KON-də-LEE-zə; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 66th United States secretary of state from 2005 to 2009 and as the 19th U.S. national security advisor "National Security Advisor (United States)") from 2001 to 2005. Since 2020, she has served as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party "Republican Party (United States)"), Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state and the first woman to serve as national security advisor. Until the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, were the highest-ranking African Americans in the history of the federal executive branch (by virtue of [...] Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the only child of Angelena (née Ray) Rice, a high school science, music, and oratory teacher, and John Wesley Rice Jr., a high school guidance counselor, Presbyterian minister, and dean of students at Stillman College, a historically black college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her name, Condoleezza, derives from the music term con dolcezza (Italian for 'sweetly, softly', lit. 'with sweetness'). Rice has roots in the American South going back to the pre–Civil War era, and some of her ancestors worked as sharecroppers for a time after emancipation. Rice discovered on the PBS series Finding Your Roots that she is of 51% African, 40% European, and 9% Asian or Native American genetic descent, while her mtDNA is traced back to the Tikar people of Cameroon. [...] From 1989 through March 1991 (the period of the fall of Berlin Wall and the final days of the Soviet Union), she served in President George H. W. Bush's administration as director, and then senior director, of Soviet and East European affairs in the National Security Council, and a special assistant to the president for national security affairs. In this position, Rice wrote what would become known as the "Chicken Kiev speech" in which Bush advised the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, against independence. She also helped develop Bush's and Secretary of State James Baker's policies in favor of German reunification. She impressed Bush, who later introduced her to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, as the one who "tells me everything I know about the Soviet Union."

  • Condoleezza Rice | Biography | Research Starters - EBSCO

    # Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice is an influential American political figure and academic known for her significant roles in the U.S. government. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1954, she grew up during a tumultuous time marked by the civil rights movement and systemic segregation. Encouraged by her parents to pursue education, she excelled academically and showed talent in music, later shifting her focus from piano to political science. Rice served as the National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, becoming the first African American woman to hold both positions. Her tenure was marked by her involvement in pivotal foreign policy decisions, including the response to the September 11 attacks and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. [...] Condoleezza Rice (KAHN-doh-LEE-zuh) was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the only child of John Wesley Rice Jr., a high school guidance counselor and Presbyterian minister, and Angelena Ray, a teacher. Her mother was a musician, and Rice’s unusual first name derives from the Italian musical term “con dolcezza,” meaning “with sweetness.” During Rice’s childhood, Birmingham was one of the most segregated cities in the South. The family lived in the black middle-class neighborhood of Titusville. Rice’s parents were determined that segregation should not hold their daughter back, however, and saw education as an important tool. She was given books and studied the piano, French, Spanish, ballet, and figure skating. Her mother taught her at home for a year, and when Rice started school in 1961 she [...] Born: November 14, 1954 Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama Rice was the first African American and also the first woman to occupy a number of high-ranking positions in academia and government. Under President George W. Bush, she served as national security adviser and then secretary of state, during which time she played a key role in shaping US foreign policy. ## Early Life

  • Condoleezza Rice | Biography, Books, & Facts - Britannica

    Last updated •History Top Questions Who is Condoleezza Rice? What important government jobs did Condoleezza Rice hold? What does it mean to be the U.S. Secretary of State? During which president's term did Condoleezza Rice serve as Secretary of State? How did Condoleezza Rice impact U.S. foreign policy? What are some other achievements or roles Condoleezza Rice has had outside government service? Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.) is an American educator and politician, who served as national security adviser (2001–05) and secretary of state (2005–09) to U.S. Pres. George W. Bush. [...] Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Condoleezza Rice - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. # Condoleezza Rice American government official Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated •History Top Questions [...] Quick Facts Born: : November 14, 1954, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. (age 71) Political Affiliation: : Republican Party Role In: : Afghanistan War : Iraq War On the Web: : CNN Politics - Condoleezza Rice Fast Facts (Feb. 13, 2026) See all related content Rice’s writings include The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army, 1948–1983: Uncertain Allegiance (1984), Germany Unified and Europe Transformed: A Study in Statecraft (1995, with Philip Zeliko), and Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom (2017). Her autobiographies are Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family (2010), which chronicles her life—notably her early years in segregated Alabama—before joining the Bush administration in 2001, and No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington (2011).

  • Condoleezza Rice | Hoover Institution

    LEARN MORE Download Headshot ## About Condoleezza Rice is the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy. She is the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, she is a founding partner of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm. From January 2005 to January 2009, Rice served as the 66th Secretary of State of the United States, the second woman and first black woman to hold the post. Rice also served as President George W. Bush’s Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor) from January 2001 to January 2005, the first woman to hold the position. [...] Rice served as Stanford University’s provost from 1993 to 1999, during which time she was the institution’s chief budget and academic officer. As Professor of Political Science, she has been on the Stanford faculty since 1981 and has won two of the university’s highest teaching honors. From February 1989 through March 1991, Rice served on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council staff. She served as Director, then Senior Director, of Soviet and East European Affairs, as well as Special Assistant to the President for National Security. In 1986, while an International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Rice also served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  • Condoleezza Rice | Archives of Women's Political Communication

    # Condoleezza Rice | | | --- | | Born: | November 14, 1954 (age 71) | | Career: | Director, Hoover Institution, 2020-present U.S. Secretary of State, 2005-2009 U.S. National Security Advisor, 2001-2005 | | Party: | Republican | | Education: | B.A., University of Denver M.A., University of Notre Dame | | Website: | | Condoleezza Rice served as U.S. secretary of state from January 2005 until January 2009, the second woman and the first African American woman to hold that position. Rice was also the first woman to serve as national security advisor, from 2001-2005 in the George W. Bush administration. [...] Since 2009, Rice has served as a founding partner at Rice, Hadley, Gates, & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm. She also serves as the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Senior Fellow on Public Policy, and is the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She serves on a number of corporate and civic boards, and has authored and co-authored numerous books. Photo from CNN. (2020, March 24). Condoleezza Rice Fast Facts. Retrieved on May 15, 2020, from Hoover Institution. (n.d.). Condoleezza Rice: About. Retrieved on August 10, 2023, from Stanford University. (n.d.). Condoleezza Rice, PhD. Retrieved on May 15, 2020 [...] Rice was born on November 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Denver in 1974, her master's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, and her Ph.D. in political science from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981. She has been on the Stanford faculty as a professor of political science since 1981.