The Links and The Links Foundation recently announced the induction of Condoleezza Rice as an honorary member. Currently a professor of political economy in the Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution; and a professor of political science at Stanford University, Rice is one of the most influential women in the world of global politics.
The induction ceremony, presided over by the national president Margot James Copeland, was held Oct. 4 in Palo Alto, Calif. with more than 250 members of the organization in attendance. “Dr. Rice embodies the creed of our organization – service, friendship and leadership,” said Copeland. “Her distinguished career in academia and groundbreaking service to our nation and the world at large as our country’s national security advisor and secretary of state, truly serve as an inspiration for all. We are proud to welcome Condoleezza Rice into the sisterhood of The Links.”
The Links bestow honorary membership upon individuals who are widely recognized nationally and internationally for outstanding and exemplary services rendered to their communities. Dr. Rice joins the esteemed company of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, international opera star Mattiwilda Dobbs, the incomparable Leontyne Price, the late Honorable Constance Baker Motley, iconic Marion Anderson, Honorable Patricia Roberts Harris, educator Elizabeth Koontz, and the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks, as an honorary member of the organization.
Growing up in the segregated South, Rice has broken many barriers and accomplished many firsts. She was the first woman and first African American to serve as provost for Stanford University from 1993 to 1999. In assuming the role of the 66th Secretary of State of the United States in 2005, Rice became the second woman and the first African-American woman to hold this trusted position.
At The Links, Incorporated’s 38th National Assembly in June 2012, the organization bestowed upon Rice the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award in Orlando, Fla. This award honors individuals who epitomize the organization’s founding tenets of friendship and service and who have significantly improved the quality of life for those in underserved communities.
“Thank you for the invitation. I am honored to be a Link. Even as an honorary member, I know I will be expected to serve and I promise to do my part,” said Dr. Rice. The Links, Incorporated is proud to welcome Rice into membership.
With more than two million service hours recorded in the past three years, members regularly contribute more than 500,000 documented service hours in their respective communities annually. For more information, visit www.linksinc.org.