16th Annual Dolley Madison Legacy Event
On May 7, 2021, Montpelier's Dolley Madison Legacy Event was honored to feature Madeleine Albright, who served as the first female Secretary of State and currently serves as Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, as this year's keynote speaker. Dr. Albright was joined in conversation by David Rubenstein, one of the most patriotic philanthropists in America, having made transformative gifts for the restoration and preservation of historical sites, including James Madison's Montpelier.
The conversation, titled "Evolving Women: Leadership in Our Nation," was an entertaining, informative exchange between Dr. Albright and Mr. Rubenstein, whose 40+-year relationship began when they were both young staffers in the Carter White House. Growing up in the Czechoslovakian Republic, Dr. Albright's father was the Czeck ambassador to Yugoslavia during her childhood, and her path to diplomacy began as a child dressed in the national costume, handing out flowers at the airport.
Dr. Albright traces her history growing up in a family where foreign policy was a constant source of conversation, but she never dreamed she would hold the positions of power that she did. Educated in the United States, she studied political science, foreign policy, diplomatic history, and economics. As a young parent of twins and working on her dissertation, she also worked for Sen. Ed Muskie as his chief legislative assistant, before taking a position under Zbigniew Brzezinski on the National Security Council. She served in that position until 1981, when President Jimmy Carter left office. She served in the Clinton White House as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, where she discovered that as only one of seven women in a room of 183 men, she had to learn to interrupt, speak firmly, and know what she had to say. She succeeded Warren Christopher as Secretary of State, serving in that capacity until Clinton left office in 2001. Dr. Albright's journey is filled with tales of holding her own as the only woman in rooms filled with powerful men, overcoming sexism, and learning how men and women think differently and using her observations to her advantage.
Enjoy the full video of the interview.
The conversation, titled "Evolving Women: Leadership in Our Nation," was an entertaining, informative exchange between Dr. Albright and Mr. Rubenstein, whose 40+-year relationship began when they were both young staffers in the Carter White House. Growing up in the Czechoslovakian Republic, Dr. Albright's father was the Czeck ambassador to Yugoslavia during her childhood, and her path to diplomacy began as a child dressed in the national costume, handing out flowers at the airport.
Dr. Albright traces her history growing up in a family where foreign policy was a constant source of conversation, but she never dreamed she would hold the positions of power that she did. Educated in the United States, she studied political science, foreign policy, diplomatic history, and economics. As a young parent of twins and working on her dissertation, she also worked for Sen. Ed Muskie as his chief legislative assistant, before taking a position under Zbigniew Brzezinski on the National Security Council. She served in that position until 1981, when President Jimmy Carter left office. She served in the Clinton White House as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, where she discovered that as only one of seven women in a room of 183 men, she had to learn to interrupt, speak firmly, and know what she had to say. She succeeded Warren Christopher as Secretary of State, serving in that capacity until Clinton left office in 2001. Dr. Albright's journey is filled with tales of holding her own as the only woman in rooms filled with powerful men, overcoming sexism, and learning how men and women think differently and using her observations to her advantage.
Enjoy the full video of the interview.