Condoleezza Rice, the first African-American woman to hold the post of Secretary of State (2005-2009), will anchor a powerful conclusion to 2020 PCMA Convening Leaders taking place Jan. 5-8 in San Francisco, when she shares her expertise on global affairs and leadership with thousands of business events professionals from around the world.
“Secretary Rice is one of the most recognized leaders in the world and she understands operating in a global context,” says Sherrif Karamat, PCMA’s president and CEO. “She is the perfect mindset to bring to the PCMA community during a time of economic and social transformation.”
She is currently the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution and a political science professor at Stanford University. She is also a founding partner of RiceHadleyGates, a strategic consulting firm.
Secretary Rice has authored numerous books, including “No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington,” and co-founded the Center for a New Generation, an innovative after-school academic enrichment program for students in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, Calif.
She joins Bozoma “Boz” Saint John, Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor, and optimist, best-selling author and global speaker Simon Sinek as main stage presenters.
“PCMA Convening Leaders is celebrated for thought-provoking and innovative education that provides challenging perspectives and inspiration from diverse speakers,” says Tonya Almond, PCMA’s vice president of knowledge and experience design. “We are excited to deliver another year of event experience that will continue to surprise and delight the thousands of business events professionals who start their year at Convening Leaders. Secretary Rice’s keynote will no doubt be something our audience will want to hear.”
Registration is now open for Convening Leaders, PCMA’s annual flagship event. See coverage from the 2019 Convening Leaders event in Pittsburgh, Pa. at pcma.org/engage/cl19-coverage.
PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) educates, inspires and listens, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. It is the world’s largest community for business events strategists, providing senior-level education, networking and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Its mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 chapters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico with members in more than 40 countries. For more info, visit pcma.org.
