Public Speaker; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
UW Major: Political Science
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield MA’75 has spent more than four decades shaping U.S. diplomacy, advancing peace, and mentoring future leaders. Her distinguished career — including her most recent role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2021 to 2025 — encompasses some of the highest-ranking roles shaping U.S. foreign policy.
Thomas-Greenfield’s unwavering belief in the power of public service took root at UW–Madison, where she earned her master’s degree in political science in 1975. After a professor at Louisiana State University encouraged her to apply, Thomas-Greenfield says she chose the UW for its reputation and excellent faculty, and to challenge herself in a new environment. A native of Louisiana, she’d never been far from her southern roots and craved a broader perspective.
“I showed up at the UW, and here was the entire world on one campus,” she said. “People from across the U.S., from across the African continent. My worldview cracked wide open.”
At UW–Madison, she discovered not only a new perspective but a new direction. She didn’t start out with a focus on Africa. But her graduate coursework — and mentorship from the late Professor M. Crawford Young, a leading scholar of African politics who Thomas-Greenfield describes as an icon and powerful motivator — helped shape the trajectory of her career.
After teaching political science at Bucknell University, she joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1982. Over the following four decades, Thomas-Greenfield built a reputation for results-driven diplomacy and principled leadership. Her early postings took her to Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, the Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica — experiences that deepened her cultural fluency and diplomatic instincts. She went on to serve in a series of senior leadership roles, including deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and director general of the Foreign Service, where she also led the State Department’s human resources operations.
From 2008 to 2012, she served as U.S. ambassador to Liberia, and from 2013 to 2017, as assistant secretary of state for African affairs, making her the top U.S. diplomat for the continent. She credits the UW with preparing her to succeed on the global stage, citing its academic rigor, international reach, and the ways it pushed her beyond her comfort zone.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t gone to that amazing university,” she says. “My deep gratitude inspires me to stay involved with UW–Madison.”
Thomas-Greenfield has remained deeply connected to campus throughout her career and is committed to making sure future generations have the same opportunities to broaden their perspectives and embrace challenges. She has returned often to speak with students, serve on the political science department’s board of visitors, and participate in programs like the Young African Leaders Initiative. She received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2018 and served as the UW’s spring commencement speaker in 2022. “The university has all the tools to prepare the next generation of public servants, politicians, and academics,” she said. “And I’m proud to be part of that story.”