A Conversation With Dr. Condoleeza Rice

Westminster Presbyterian Church USA Presents

Fmr. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Celebration of its 75th Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Birmingham, AL – Westminster Presbyterian Church USA will present A Conversation with Dr. Condoleezza Rice at Alabama School of Fine Arts in the Dorothy Jemison Day Theater on Thursday, December 12, 2019, at 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Rice, who served as 66th Secretary of State of the United States to President George W. Bush, is the granddaughter of Rev. John Wesley Rice, Sr., the church’s first pastor. Dr. Rice grew up in the

church’s manse during her formative years while her father, Rev. John W. Rice, Jr., who was assistant pastor, assumed the role of pastor after his father.

Dr. Rice went on to become the first female African American Secretary of State during President George W. Bush’s second term. In 2000, she became President Bush's National Security

Advisor during his first term, making her the first woman to serve in that position as well. She was an international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, and also served as special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Rice had previously served on the National Security Council as the senior director of Soviet and Eastern Europe Affairs and Advisor to President George H. W.

Bush during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and German reunification from 1989 to 1991.

With varying interests outside of politics, including sports and the arts, Rice was appointed to the College Football Playoff Committee (formerly the Bowl Championship Series) in 2013. An accomplished classical pianist, Rice has played with internationally renowned cellist, Yo Yo Ma, on several occasions, most recently at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC, as part of the 2017 Kennedy Center Arts Summit. Rice is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Having served as a professor and provost at Stanford University until 1999, after her public service Rice returned to Stanford University in 2009 as a political science professor and the Thomas and

Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, a position she currently holds. Dr. Rice also currently serves as the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a professor of political science at Stanford University.

A favorite daughter of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dr. Rice, who was featured during the church’s 65th Anniversary celebration, will be featured in A Conversation with Dr. Condoleezza Rice to commemorate the church’s 75th anniversary as well. Tickets for the event are $75 for adults and $30 for students. To order tickets, visit www.djdtheater.org or call 205-458-0360. Alabama School of Fine Arts is located at 800 19th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35202.

Westminster Presbyterian Church is part of the Presbyterian Church USA and the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. The church is located at 20 Sixth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35211. Rev.

Jerome Bell is the Interim Pastor.