The 2023 Medal of Glory Award (MOGA), The Foundation for Democracy in Africa’s (FDA) highest honor, will be presented to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Tad and Dianne Taube Director and Senior Fellow on Public Policy, The Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and National Security Advisor, and Secretary of State of the United States under President George W. Bush for extraordinary leadership and lifetime commitment and accomplishments in academia, advancing democracy, human rights, and Transformational Diplomacy in Africa.
Born on November 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama, the only child of a Presbyterian minister and a teacher, Dr. Rice grew up surrounded by racism in the segregated South.
She earned her bachelor of arts in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in 1974 from the University of Denver, her master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, and her doctorate in political science from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981. Dr. Rice joined Stanford University as a political science professor that same year.
In 1993, Dr. Rice became the first woman and African American to serve as provost of Stanford University — a post she held for six years. During that time, she also served as chief budget and academic officer.
President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Rice as National Security Adviser, making her the first African American woman (and woman) to hold the post. She also became the first African American woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State and the 66th Secretary of State in 2004 and served from 2005 to 2009.
As Secretary of State, Dr. Rice dedicated her department to “Transformational Diplomacy,” with a mission of building and sustaining democratic, well-governed states globally.
In 2009, when her appointment as Secretary of State ended, Dr. Rice returned to teaching. She is the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Senior Fellow on Public Policy at Stanford University. Dr. Rice is the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, she is a founding partner of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm.
Dr. Rice has published several books with two autobiographies. She received several awards, including the Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1984, the Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Award in 2018, the George C. Marshall Foundation Award for her devotion to the institutions of individual liberty, private enterprise, and democracy 2022 and over fifteen honorary doctorate degrees. Dr. Rice also works tirelessly to educate the public on international relations.
The Medal of Glory Award is The Foundation for Democracy in Africa’s (FDA) highest honor awarded, annually, to exemplary leaders for extraordinary contributions to democracy, and good governance, and the advancement of trade, investment, and cultural ties in Africa.
Past recipients of the award, includes President Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi; Dr. Amadou Makhtar M’Bow, Director General of the United Nations, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1974 – 1987); Dr. Sarah E. Moten, USAID, Africa Bureau; President Mazire of Botswana; President Shehu Shagari of Nigeria; President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria; Senator Connie Mack of Florida; Dr. Dorothy Height, President of the National Council of Negro Women; Mr. C. Payne Lucas, President of Africare; President Abdou Diouf of Senegal; President Alpha Omar Konare of Mali; President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal; Dennis C Moss, Commissioner, Miami-Dade County, Florida( retired); Mr. Ato Girma Wake, Ethiopian Airlines; Dr. Mo Ibrahim, Mo Ibrahim Foundation; the People of the Republic of Burkina Faso; Congresswoman Ileana Ros -Lehtinen of Florida; Mr. William Talbert III, President CDME, President, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (retired), Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina, President, the African Development Bank Group; Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Commissioner, Miami-Dade County (retired); Jean Monestine, Commissioner. Miami-Dade County (retired); Javier D. Souto, Commissioner, Miami-Dade County (retired) and Mrs. Evelyn Wynn (posthumously).
The Medal of Glory Awards will be bestowed during the 24th annual AfrICANDO U.S.-Africa Trade & Investment Conference Expo under the theme The Diaspora: Accelerating U.S.-Africa Trade, Investment, and Technological Innovation, slated for 25-27 October 2023 during the Awards Gala and Dinner on Friday 27, 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Miami.
The Foundation for Democracy in Africa (FDA) is a development organization committed to promoting participatory democracy, economic growth, and sustainable development throughout Africa. Founded in 1994, FDA is a 501c 3, not-for-profit, nongovernmental, nonpartisan institution headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Miami, Florida, USA. FDA’s mission is to: (1) implement culturally sensitive programs designed to strengthen and enhance the fundamental principles of democracy, freedom, and economic plurality throughout Africa and (2) integrate emerging African democracies into the mainstream of the global economy, thus cultivating the pathway for peace and prosperity in Africa.
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