Madeleine K. Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, is heading to Fulton.
Albright will deliver the 59th John Findley Green Foundation Lecture on Sept. 19 at Westminster College.
"This is a tremendous honor to welcome a world leader of Dr. Albright's stature to Westminster," Westminster President Fletcher Lamkin said. "I have asked that her lecture further articulate her ideas about democracy's future prospects, and how humanity might once again break down the walls that divide us, and join together, in a spirit of hope, to confront the challenges that lie ahead."
Albright is a trailblazer in many ways - as secretary of state, she became the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States government - but in delivering the Green Foundation lecture, she'll follow in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill and many other of the world's greatest leaders.
Some of the other prestigious Green Foundation lecturers in Westminster's history include British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Poland Lech Walesa, President Harry S Truman, President Gerald Ford, President George H. W. Bush and Secretary of State and Treasury James A. Baker.
Albright's lecture will be the cornerstone of Westminster's 12th annual Hancock Symposium, two days of engaging lectures, panel discussions and presentations on one particular subject of global importance.
This year's Hancock Symposium takes its inspiration from "Breakthrough," a sculpture created by internationally acclaimed artist and Churchill's granddaughter Edwina Sandys, from eight contiguous sections of the original Berlin Wall. Albright's lecture will be given in the auditorium adjacent to where the "Breakthrough" sculpture stands on the Westminster campus.
This Hancock Symposium theme will focus on human "breakthroughs" in every aspect of our life and honor the 30-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Biography
President Bill Clinton named Albright to the highest diplomatic and policy post of the federal government in 1997.
For the next four years, she reinforced America's alliances; advocated for democracy and human rights; and promoted American trade, business, labor and environmental standards abroad as the 64th secretary of state.
From 1993-1997, Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and became a member of the President's Cabinet at that time.
Today she is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. In addition, she is a professor in the practice of diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Albright also chairs the National Democratic Institute, serves as the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation and is a member of the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Policy Board.
From 1989-1992, she served as President of the Center for National Policy.
Previously, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter's National Security Council and White House staff and served as chief legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Edmund S. Muskie.
In 2012, she was chosen by President Obama to receive the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in recognition of her contributions to international peace and democracy. In 2015, Albright received the Churchill Leadership Award at a ceremony in New York City.
Albright's latest book, "Fascism: A Warning," debuted April 10 at the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
She is the author of five other New York Times bestselling books, including her autobiography, "Madam Secretary: A Memoir" (2003); "The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs" (2006); "Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership" (2008); "Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box" (2009); and "Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948" (2012).
Albright received a B.A. with honors from Wellesley College, and master's and doctorate degrees from Columbia University's department of public law and hovernment, as well as a certificate from its Russian Institute.
She is based in Washington, D.C.
Ticketing information for Albright's lecture will be announced at a future date.
The Green Foundation Lecture was established thanks to a generous gift by Eleanor I. Green in 1937 to honor the memory of her husband, John Findley Green, a St. Louis attorney who graduated from Westminster in 1884 and served on the Westminster Board of Trustees for 27 years.
This important lecture series has brought an impressive procession of illustrious world leaders to Westminster to deliver significant addresses. Sir Winston Churchill delivered his "Sinews of Peace" speech, more commonly known as the "Iron Curtain" speech, as a part of the lecture series in 1946.