By: Fiona Hatch

Linda Thomas-Greenfield at her confirmation hearing.GREG NASH/GETTY IMAGES

On October 7, UW Alumni Linda Thomas-Greenfield returned to campus to address the school's current student body. The former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs stepped back into her career in foreign affairs in 2020, following a summons from President Biden to return as a UN Ambassador.

Being in the same room as the UN Ambassador was truly humbling. Her attitude was exceedingly welcoming as she met with us all as a mentor would with an apprentice. She insisted on being addressed as Linda, as she does with any foreign diplomat she meets with. There is no question that the Ambassador's love for UW remains strong as she made sure to dedicate an hour of her trip to answering the questions of today's students. 

The discussion was broad in its scope, with questions ranging from current events and global issues to advice for college undergraduates hoping to follow in her footsteps. 

To Linda, her proudest achievement was the amount of public service she had done in her 35+ year career in foreign policy. She opened her panel with a story from her time spent approving immigration applications. In particular, she reminisced about one day in Washington DC when she was stopped on the street by a woman who recognized her as the woman who had approved her immigration application from Somalia. The meeting stuck with the Ambassador as she progressed throughout her career – that she had done a little bit of good for at least one person. This, as it turns out, would become the theme of Linda's career for decades to come. 

Her days are packed with service to others. Although her schedule marks the start of her work day at 7:30am, she begins taking international calls at 6. At least two hours everyday are dedicated to Security Council meetings, in which she chooses not to leave until she has heard every member speak. On any particular day, she mitigates and guides conversations between international leaders and ambassadors. October 5, for example, was spent working with several foreign powers to draft a public statement regarding North Korea's test missiles that were flown over Japan earlier that week. After the meetings of the day are over, she spends the afternoons conducting ‘courtesy calls' to those who ask for her appearance. When the permanent representative from Korea asked her to attend their National Day later that same evening, the Ambassador said “my staff has already said no to him. I then said yes… and it made a difference to him, for me to be there.” 

The day doesn't end until well close to midnight, and she is up bright and early every morning to receive calls starting at 6a.m. 

The Q&A section of the panel opened with a question from a student studying at the La Folette School of Public Affairs: what program or issue in the UN do you feel deserves more media attention? Her answer was instantaneous: Ethiopia. The conflict and suffering within the nation, according to Linda, has the potential to spill over to the rest of the African states. As with many humanitarian crises, the effects of Ethiopia's instability can and are being felt on a continental level. 

One of Ethiopia's current struggles is an issue that is being felt globally, and which Linda is particularly passionate about: food insecurity. 

“What we are dealing with is one of the worst food insecurity crises that we have ever experienced,” the Ambassador said. “When we look at the impact that COVID-19 has had on the food supply, when we look at the impact of climate on food, and then conflict, and particularly what is happening right now in Ukraine… there are close to 250 million people who are food insecure.” 

Much like the Ethiopian conflict's effects on African peace, the individual crises of climate change, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine have all perpetuated an even greater global issue of food scarcity. Solving this pertinent issue of world hunger is one of Linda's biggest advocacy points in her line of work. 

Many within the panel also wanted Thomas-Greenfield's advice for anyone hoping to pursue a career in foreign service. She has a few tips: learn a foreign language, join the Peace Corps (which she could not recommend highly enough for anyone hoping to pursue a career in government or public service), and find ways to relax after a workday full of conflict. But her biggest piece of advice comes down to writing capabilities. As counterintuitive as it may sound, Linda advises that “if you want to be a great foreign service officer, don't major in Political Science. Major in English.” 

Linda Thomas-Greenfield has given her life to foreign policy, human rights advocacy, but most of all, the simple act of doing good. The UN Ambassador will be the first to tell you that nobody goes into public service for the money. To her, the most fulfilling part of her work is the good that she is doing across the world. Her opening statement to the student panel encapsulated this sentiment perfectly. 

“So now it's your turn. You are being prepared for whatever it is that you're hoping to do to change the world and I know you will. And my advice to you is not only ‘do good,' but seize the opportunity, seize the moment, [and] find a way, your way – not my way, not your parents' way… but find your way… and make sure that what you do, that you're proud of what you're doing each and every day.”