Widely regarded as one of the most distinguished and respected American statesmen of the last century, Mr. Burns has served six U.S. presidents and administrations of both parties.
He most recently served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a member of President Biden’s Cabinet—the first career diplomat to lead the agency. At the end of three and a half decades in the U.S. Foreign Service, he became only the second serving career officer in history to become the deputy secretary of state. He also served as ambassador to Russia and Jordan, and in a number of other senior posts.
From 2015 to 2021, Mr. Burns served as the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. During those years, he wrote the best-selling book The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal. Mr. Burns is married to Ambassador Lisa Carty and is the proud father of two daughters. He earned a bachelor’s from LaSalle University, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar.
This is an in-person event only.
Originally published at ondisc.nd.edu.