Dr. Condoleezza Rice Headlines 30th Anniversary of East Bay USA

(Photo Credit: Amy Sullivan)

The East Bay Leadership Council celebrated the 30th Anniversary of East Bay USA with a presentation from the 66th United States Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday evening.

Over the last 30 years, East Bay USA has become known in the region for delivering dynamic speakers and Dr. Rice was no exception.

When the former Secretary of State took the stage at the Concord Hilton, she commanded the attention of the nearly 400 people in attendance with a keynote that addressed the arc of the international relations over the last 70 years and why Americans should not tire of their role in the world.

She began the evening speaking to specific challenges to international order since the end of World War II, most notably the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.

“After September 11th, every day felt like September 12th,” said Dr. Rice as she reflected on being the National Security Advisor on a day when the United States was attacked on its own territory for the first time since 1812.

After September 11th, it became clear to Dr. Rice that “our country is most vulnerable by those who operate from ungoverned territories” rather than the large nations who dominated the international order for decades.

“That’s why today we worry more about Yemen, Somalia, and the great swath of land between Iraq and Syria where ISIS operates,” said Rice.

However dangerous the world has become, Dr. Rice seemed more concerned with the state of the country’s K-12 schools. She described America’s inequitable education system as the “the greatest national security threat that we face today.”

“Poor kids are stuck in failing neighborhood schools, a lot of them minorities, and it is the height of inequality to condemn those kids to a poor education,” said Rice.

To address the many challenges our country faces, Dr. Rice made clear that she believes in the innovative, creative, and risk-taking private sector to “create jobs and build communities.”

Dr. Rice also highlighted the importance of organizations like the East Bay Leadership Council in “mobilizing people who care about their communities.”

And while the former Secretary of State’s poignant keynote inspired the first of two standing ovations on the night, Dr. Rice’s unscripted question and answer portion of the program was most impressive. 

She fielded questions from moderator Ann Notarangelo on topics ranging from the recent Iran deal, the popularity of Donald Trump, skills-based learning, and what she looks for in a President of the United States.

When pressed on whether she would ever consider running for President of the United States, Dr. Rice made clear that she had her dream job as Secretary of State. A job well suited for Dr. Rice, who prefers policy to politics.

When Notarangelo suggested that Dr. Rice would be perfect to tackle the broad range of issues challenging the National Football League as the League’s Commissioner, from domestic violence to repetitive brain injury, Rice made clear that she preferred teaching at Stanford.

However, she admitted that “when she was trying to deal with the Russians and the Iranians every day, Roger Goodell’s job looked pretty good.”

What stood out among the entire program and what surely inspired the second standing ovation of the night, was Dr. Rice’s poise, sincerity, and intelligence when faced with a wide variety of questions.

East Bay USA’s tradition of dynamic speakers continued on Wednesday with a night that was equally thought provoking and entertaining, while celebrating the East Bay as a special region to live and work.

The success of the 30th Anniversary of East Bay USA would not have been possible without the support of Chevron and Shell as Major Sponsors of the signature event. 

Sustaining Sponsors included John Muir Health, Tesoro, and Wells Fargo.

The event also had the support of several Contributing Sponsors and dozens of Community Leader Sponsors.