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Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will be the inaugural speaker at the Council for Women of Boston College Colloquium, a new initiative that will bring exceptional thought leaders to campus to consider contemporary issues through the lens of women’s leadership.
Albright’s address, open to the public, will be on Nov. 4 in Robsham Theater. Her address will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A.
The CWBC Colloquium is made possible by the generous support of council members and other Boston College donors and will be administered under the aegis of the Institute for the Liberal Arts.
Albright was the first female secretary of state, serving from 1997 to 2001. As secretary of state, she reinforced America’s alliances, advocated for democracy and human rights and promoted US trade and business, labor, and environmental standards abroad. She previously had served as the US permanent representative to the United Nations. In 2012, Albright was awarded the US Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
“In recognition of the importance of the continued success of our mission to promote women as leaders, the CWBC has endowed a permanent program, the Council for Women of Boston College Colloquium,” said CWBC Chair Kathleen McGillycuddy NC ’71. “The colloquium will position Boston College as a leading voice in the national conversation on women and leadership. We hope that the colloquium will foster conversations throughout campus and beyond on the critical issues of the day and the role that women play in addressing them. We are delighted to launch this very special initiative with such a renowned and accomplished leader, Madeleine Albright.”
“Madeleine Albright’s achievement as the first woman to serve as United States secretary of state and her record of outstanding leadership make her the ideal inaugural speaker for the colloquium,” said Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, director of the ILA. “She can address substantive issues and is a lively speaker who will engage faculty, students, alumni and the broader community. We were thrilled when she accepted our invitation and look forward to welcoming her to Boston College.”
Albright chairs both the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the Pew Global Attitudes Project and serves as president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. She is a member of the US Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the Secretary of Defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy.
A best-selling author, Albright has written about her time in office (Madam Secretary: A Memoir), her legendary pin collection (Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box) and her childhood in Czechoslovakia (Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948), among other titles.
She is chairwoman of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets.
Through its organization and sponsorship of professional, educational, cultural, athletics and service activities both on campus and across the country, the CWBC provides alumnae with professional and personal enrichment opportunities; connects them to the University; supports Alumni Association initiatives, and mentors women undergraduates, the alumnae of tomorrow.
Established in 2002, the CWBC has grown to include some 150 alumnae, with a membership roster that reads like a “Who’s Who” of leaders in business, financial services, law, medicine, education, broadcasting and other fields. An additional 800 alumnae are associate members of the council.