Sally MacDonald, Michael Rice, Michael Rice

Susan Elizabeth Rice, born November 17, 1964, is a former American diplomat and policy advisor who has held significant roles in U.S. foreign and domestic policy. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Rice's career includes serving as the Director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council from 2021 to 2023, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, and U.S. National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017. She also held positions within the Clinton administration, including on the National Security Council staff and as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, where she was notably the youngest person to serve in that role at the time.

Educated at Stanford University and New College, Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar and earned a D.Phil., Rice's early career involved foreign policy advising and management consulting. Throughout her public service, she has been involved in shaping U.S. policy on issues ranging from African development and human rights to international security and climate change.

Susan Elizabeth Rice was born in Washington, D.C. Her parents were Lois Rice, an education policy scholar involved in designing the Pell Grant system, and Emmett J. Rice, an economics professor and former governor of the Federal Reserve System. Rice attended Stanford University, graduating with honors in history, and later studied at New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar, earning advanced degrees in International Relations. Her doctoral dissertation focused on peacekeeping initiatives in Zimbabwe. She was an accomplished athlete and student leader in her youth.

Rice's extensive public service career spans multiple administrations. During the Clinton administration, she served on the National Security Council and as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, overseeing significant shifts in U.S.-Africa policy. Later, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, she championed human rights, poverty reduction, climate change, and LGBT and women's rights on a global scale. As National Security Advisor under President Obama, she played a role in key foreign policy initiatives, including the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Agreement. Most recently, she directed the Domestic Policy Council in the Biden administration.

Throughout her career, Rice has been a key figure in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Her tenure as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs saw the passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and increased focus on combating HIV/AIDS. At the UN, she advocated for human rights and global development goals, while also engaging in security matters such as sanctions against Iran and North Korea and intervention in Libya. Her experiences, including reflections on the Rwandan genocide, influenced her views on the necessity of decisive action in international crises. She also advised Democratic presidential nominees on foreign policy matters.