Ambassador Wendy Sherman

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

Wendy R. Sherman, served three presidents and five secretaries of state, retiring as the 21st U.S. Deputy Secretary of State. As Deputy Secretary, Sherman was the point person on China. As Undersecretary for Political Affairs, she led the negotiating team that reached an agreement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. As Counselor, she led on North Korea and was engaged on Middle East negotiations. President Obama awarded Sherman the National Security Medal for her diplomatic accomplishments. Currently, Sherman is a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a Hauser fellow at the Center for Public Leadership, where she previously served as Director and as a professor of practice. In 2002, along with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Sherman built a global consulting business, serving as vice-chair for a decade. A frequent media commentator, Sherman is the author of “Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power and Persistence”.