Samantha Power has been recognized as a leading voice internationally for principled American engagement in the world. Originally a journalist, she began her career in government as a senior adviser to then Senator Barack Obama, eventually serving on the National Security Council and as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama administration. In those roles, Power focused on issues such as atrocity prevention, UN reform, LGBT and women’s rights, religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities, and the prevention of human trafficking.
Professional positions
- 2021–present: Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (under President Joe Biden)
- 2017–2021: Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
- 2017–2021: William D. Zabel Professor of Practice in Human Rights, Harvard Law School
- 2013–2017: United States Ambassador to the United Nations (under President Barack Obama)
- 2009–2013: Special Assistant to the President for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, National Security Council (under President Barack Obama)
- 1998–2002: Founding executive director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School
Notable publications
- Power, Samantha. 2019. The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
- Chollet, Derek, and Samantha Power, eds. 2011. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World. New York, NY: PublicAffairs.
- Power, Samantha. 2008. Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
- Power, Samantha. 2002. A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Degrees
- JD, Harvard Law School
- BA, history, Yale University
