Susan E. Rice
U.S. Permanent Representative
to the United Nations

 

Ambassador Susan E. Rice serves as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and is a member of President Obama's Cabinet. Since her unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate on January 22, 2009, she has served on the front lines of the President’s new era of engagement, helping to repair frayed international relationships and end American isolation on a host of issues affecting international peace, security, and economic development. At the United Nations, Ambassador Rice has worked to advance U.S. interests, defend universal values, strengthen the world’s common security and prosperity, and promote respect for human rights.

Under Ambassador Rice’s leadership, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations has helped win the stiffest UN sanctions ever against Iran and North Korea, unprecedented action to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and materials, support for life-saving interventions in Libya and Cote d’Ivoire, cooperation on the referendum for independence in Southern Sudan, vital UN assistance in Afghanistan and Iraq, and initial progress on reform of the flawed UN Human Rights Council. In a world of 21^st-century threats that pay no heed to borders, rebuilding a strong basis for international cooperation has helped the United States tackle its foreign policy priorities and make the American people safer.

Prior to serving as U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Rice served as Senior Advisor for National Security Affairs on the Obama for America Campaign. She later served on the Advisory Board of the Obama-Biden Transition and as co-chair of its policy working group on national security. From 2002-2009, she was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she focused on U.S. foreign policy, transnational security threats, weak states, global poverty and development.

From 1997 to 2001, Ambassador Rice was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. In this position, she formulated and implemented U.S. policy for 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including political, economic, security and humanitarian issues. As Assistant Secretary, she oversaw the management of 43 U.S. Embassies and more than 5,000 U.S. and Foreign Service national employees. In 2000, Ambassador Rice was co-recipient of the White House’s 2000 Samuel Nelson Drew Memorial Award for distinguished contributions to the formation of peaceful, cooperative relationships between states.

From 1995-1997, Ambassador Rice served as Special Assistant to President William J. Clinton and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House. Prior to this position, she served as the Director for International Organizations and Peacekeeping on the National Security Council staff from 1993 until 1995.

Previously, Ambassador Rice was a management consultant with McKinsey and Company and also served on numerous boards, including the National Democratic Institute, the Partnership for Public Service and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.