Condoleezza Rice

The 66th U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009) and, before that, National Security Advisor — the first Black woman to hold either post. A scholar of Soviet and Eastern European affairs, she served as Provost of Stanford University and is now Director of the Hoover Institution, bridging the worlds of high politics and academic leadership.

Connection

Herbert reaches Condoleezza Rice through Frank Barrett — she was Frank's piano teacher.

Why Herbert Would Be Delighted

The improbable, human detail of it: one of the most powerful diplomats of her generation, teaching piano to a young Frank Barrett — himself a jazz pianist. A reminder that the people in Herbert's network carry whole lives beyond their public roles.