Condoleezza Rice’s Life and Career in Public Service

Throughout her career, Secretary Condoleezza Rice has served as a special assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a member of the National Security Council, and a special assistant to the president for national security affairs. She was the first Black American woman to serve as a national security advisor, as well as the first to serve as secretary of state.

During her time in the George W. Bush administration, Secretary Rice oversaw foreign policy in the Middle East, particularly in regard to the war in Iraq. She also aimed to curtail the continued rise of nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. After her time in the White House, she split her time primarily between academic work and continued public advocacy.

Secretary Rice has led a life full of achievement and service. Here are just several key facts about the former secretary of state and national security advisor:

• She grew up in racially segregated Alabama. Former Secretary of State Rice experienced the brunt of racist policies as a youth in Birmingham, Alabama. After growing up through the Civil Rights era, she saw the good and the bad of what government policy can do in regard to BIPOC. She chronicled her youth and adulthood in two books: Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family and No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington.
• She is a big football fan. Secretary Rice has spent a large fraction of her time since leaving Washington, DC, engaged in the US football community. She was an inaugural member of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Additionally, she is a fan of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and is a member of the Denver Broncos’ ownership group. She’s also a member of the Augusta National Golf Club.
• She served under both presidents Bush. Prior to serving as President George W. Bush’s national security advisor and secretary of state, Secretary Rice gained experience in presidential statecraft for President George H.W. Bush’s administration. She helped oversee East European affairs alongside her colleague Philip D. Zelikow. The two also authored a book on German reunification at the end of the Cold War entitled Germany Unified and Europe Transformed.
• She’s spent considerable time in academia. Secretary Rice’s doctoral thesis for the University of Denver’s School of International Studies focused on the uncertain allegiance of the Czechoslovak army to the Soviet Union. She’s received more than a dozen honorary doctorates, including from Siena College in New York and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She served as a professor of political science at Stanford University in California throughout the 1980s and helped spearhead an after-school program for nearby high schoolers. Her more recent positions have included serving as director of the Hoover Institution.
• She was the first Black female Secretary of State. Secretary Rice was the first Black woman to ever serve as secretary of state as well as the first woman of any race to serve as a president’s national security advisor. She performed both roles under President George W. Bush from 2001–2009.

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is an expert in the art of diplomacy. In her class, you will learn what she has to say about:

1. 1. Building consensus: In a polarized time, finding common ground and seeking solutions seems more difficult than ever. Secretary Rice spends a wide swath of time in her class covering just how to bring people together even if they seem impossibly far apart. “When you’re a diplomat, you need to build consensus, often with people with whom you disagree,” she says. “And there is no skill that is more lacking in our modern life than the ability to civilly listen to people who have different views and to be able to work [toward] some kind of consensus.”
2. 2. Finding strengths and weaknesses: Secretary Rice’s class includes a questionnaire to help you find your own personal diplomatic strengths and weaknesses. By learning more about yourself, you’ll be able to better handle all sorts of situations diplomatically. Just remember, as Secretary Rice says, “More than anything, it takes perseverance. You just have to keep trying.”
3. 3. Having a vision: Secretary Rice has said she believes everyone has the power to shape the world. In her class, she will help you develop a vision for achieving positive change. “Have a vision of the world as it should be, not the world as it is,” she says. “And that can mean anything from being the leader of a country or movement to being the leader of a company that is trying to make it back from a difficult quarter or possibly losing market share.”
4. 4. Prioritizing diversity: Secretary Rice sees diversity—in terms of background and ideology—as essential to organizational success. “I often say to my students,” she recalls, “if you are constantly in the company of people who say ‘Amen’ to everything you say, find other company.” Throughout her class, she’ll challenge you to think outside the box and meet other people where they are.
5. 5. Working with a team: Through collaboration, people can achieve truly remarkable things. As Secretary Rice says, “Nobody leads well alone.” Throughout her class, you’ll hear how she developed a personal leadership style around equipping other people to succeed by fostering their innate talents.

For additional perspectives on leadership, check out:

1. 1. Bill Clinton on inclusive leadership: Drawing from his career in politics, President Clinton teaches you how to inspire diverse teams, manage criticism, and mediate conflict. To lead anyone from one place to another, one must first understand where they’re starting from. In President Clinton’s class you’ll learn how developing a framework can help you make sense of the world.
2. 2. Doris Kearns Goodwin on US presidential history and leadership: Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin teaches you how to develop the leadership qualities of exceptional American presidents. Looking at the early lives of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ, Doris’s class discusses whether leaders are born or made and why great leaders have ambition for something bigger than themselves.
3. 3. George W. Bush on authentic leadership: Having weathered some of the toughest challenges during his presidency, President Bush knows that the essential characteristics of a leader are humility and decisiveness. In his class, he discusses how to stay true to your values while building a strong team and making personal connections.

MasterClass at Work is the learning platform to help unlock the full potential of your employees and inspire a learning lifestyle in everyone. From negotiation to mindfulness to baking—these are just a few things your teams can explore.