Thanks to the generosity of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at Florida International University (FIU), five representatives from the College of Business Administration were able to attend the Miami Leadership Roundtable, presented by Miami Dade College and featuring Madeleine Albright.
Albright, the first woman secretary of state—the highest governmental position held by a woman—currently chairs Albright Stonebridge Group and Albright Capital Management LLC, and is a professor in the practice of diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
“It was marvelous to meet her,” said Aya Chacar, one of three members of the Department of Management and International Business to attend, along with Galen Kroeck and Constance Bates. “She is a formidable diplomat.”
Walfried Lassar, Department of Marketing, agreed.
“I was impressed with her self-depreciating humor that made it clear how formidable a negotiator she must have been when she was secretary of state,” he said.
Q&A proves lively.
Chacar found her even more impressive during the Q&A that followed the talk.
“She fielded numerous questions on a wide range of topics demonstrating her depth of knowledge, her diplomacy, her wit and her belief in the important role that women need to play in politics” she said. “What impressed me most is her ability to portray with such simplicity the pros and the cons of every strategic or political issue she was asked about. She revealed her ability to deal with these complexities and weight them in making the not-so-simple decisions that executives have to make every day.”
“I found it very refreshing when she said, ‘Since I am no longer secretary of state, I can actually answer your questions,’ and then proceeded to do so with sincere candor,” Kroeck said.
Each attendee received a copy of Albright’s book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box. She used items from her personal collection of more than 200 brooches to communicate diplomatic messages.
Andrea Rodgers, assistant director, accreditation and data management, also attended the event.
