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Madeleine Albright honored by the Council; named new member of National Council
 Secretary Madeleine Albright, the Council's 2007 Distinguished Service Award winner is received by Council President, Ambassador Robert Seiple.
On January 25th at the 2007 First Freedom Awards Dinner, the Distinguished Service
Award was conferred upon former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. This is the
first time the Council bestowed the Distinguished Service Award, a special honor for
a specific contribution toward promoting religious freedom. Secretary Albright
addressed the dinner guests at the Jefferson Hotel with a powerful oration reflecting
on the role of religious intolerance in the conflicts she witnessed while serving as
Secretary of State.
When Secretary Albright was a child, her family fled twice from her birthplace of Prague, Czechoslovakia, first as refugees from the Nazis and later as refugees from the Communists. She was raised Roman Catholic by her parents, who had converted to Catholicism from Judaism in order to escape persecution. This personal history gives her a unique view on the conflicts that can exist between religions.
Secretary Albright attended schools in Switzerland, and later was awarded a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Wellesley College. She studied at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and received a Certificate from the Russian Institute at Columbia University. She earned her Masters and Doctorate from Columbia University’s Department of Public Law and Governance.
From 1993 to 1997, Secretary Albright served as the United States’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In 1996, President Clinton nominated her to become the first female Secretary of State, which at the time made her the highest- ranking woman in the history of the United States government. As the 64th Secretary of State, Secretary Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade and business, labor, and environmental standards abroad.
Secretary Albright now teaches at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service as
a Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy. She is also the first Distinguished Scholar of
the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Business School. She is
the Chairperson of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and
President of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Secretary Albright has written a book on the role of religion in international politics where she reflects on the conflicts she saw during her tenure as Secretary of State. This book, The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs, was a New York Times best seller. After the First Freedom Awards Dinner, Secretary Albright held a book signing for the Council's dinner guests.
The Council is proud to announce that Madeleine Albright has accepted the invitation to serve on the Council's National Honorary Advisory Council (NHAC).The NHAC is a select group of distinguished individuals recognized around the world for their efforts in championing peace and religious liberty.
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