The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Benwood Foundation and the Community Research Council (CRC) announce that Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will launch the George T. Hunter Lecture Series at the Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC Fine Arts Center, corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets beginning at 7 p.m. on September 11. This lecture is free and open to the public
“We are very honored to have such a distinguished speaker,” said Corinne Allen, Executive Director of the Benwood Foundation.
“I can’t think of a more important speaker to bring to campus on this anniversary,” said UTC Chancellor Roger Brown. “For UTC students, faculty and staff, it is an honor to have her on campus. We welcome the entire community to this event.”
Madeleine Korbel Albright served as the 64th secretary of state of the United States. She became the first woman named to that position in 1997, and at the time was the highest ranking woman in the history of US government.
Albright is the founder of The Albright Group LLC, a global strategy firm. She is also the Chair of Albright Capital Management, LLC, a global investment firm that, along with the partner PGGM, integrates global citizenship, good corporate governance, socially responsible policies and transparency into a comprehensive emerging markets investment program.
Albright is the first Michael and Virginia Mortara Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. She is the chairman of The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, chair of The Pew Global Attitudes Project and president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. Alabright is the co-chair of the High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (HLCLEP) and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Board of Trustees for the Aspen Institute.
Accomplishments during Albright’s tenure included the expansion and modernization of NATO and NATO’s successful campaign to reverse ethnic cleansing in Kosovo; the promotion of peace in the Balkans; the reduction of nuclear dangers from Russia; the strengthening of democracy in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America; the skillful management of our multifaceted relationship with China including trade as well as human rights; and the growth of trade in the Americas, in Africa through the African Growth Opportunity Act, and through the conclusion of hundreds of other agreements that facilitated American business overseas.
From 1993-1997, Albright served as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of the President’s Cabinet. In 1995, she led the U.S. delegation to the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.
Albright was the Director of Women in Foreign Service Programs and a Research Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University during the decade prior to her return to public service. From 1989-1992, she was President of the Center for National Policy, a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington D.C. As a professor, Albright wrote extensively on change in communist systems, particularly on the role of the media.
From 1978-81, Albright was a member of President Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff. From 1976-78, she served as Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Edmund S. Muskie.
Albright received her B.A. with Honors from Wellesley College, Masters and Doctorate from Columbia University’s Department of Public Law and Government, as well as a Certificate from the Russian Institute.
Albright was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and immigrated to America with her family after Communists took control of that country in 1948. She is the mother of three daughters and has six grandchildren. Albright’s autobiography Madam Secretary: A Memoir was published in September 2003. Albright’s newest book, The Mighty and The Almighty—Reflections on America, God and World Affairs was published in May 2006.
Following Albright’s lecture on September 11, the remaining speakers in the 2007 George T. Hunter Lecture Series will be:
Bill McKibben, November 6, 2007: McKibben is the author of the recently published Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and Durable Future. He will speak on the environment.
Frank McCourt, February 19, 2008: McCourt is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Angela’s Ashes. He will speak on education and arts and culture.
Fred Kent, April 8, 2008: Kent is founder and president of Project for Public Spaces. He will speak on community development.
Read more about the George T. Hunter Lecture Series.
