Wendy Sherman served as the 21st U.S. deputy secretary of state, and first woman in that role, from April 2021 to August 2023. Before joining the Biden Administration, Deputy Secretary Sherman served as a professor of the practice of public leadership and head of the Center for Public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to that she was a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG) and non-resident senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. Deputy Secretary Sherman previously served as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, also the first woman in that role. In this global role, she oversaw the bureaus for Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East, South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and International Organizations. She also led the U.S. negotiating team and was a central player in reaching a successful conclusion of the Iran nuclear agreement. In recognition of her diplomatic accomplishments, she was awarded the National Security Medal by President Barack Obama. Follow Deputy Secretary Sherman on X at @wendyrsherman.
Explore some of Deputy Secretary Sherman’s recent commentary:
- Iran Assassination Highlights Biden’s National Security Challenges. His Team Is up to It. — USA Today, 11/30/20
- For Women of My Generation, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Fight Were Our Fights — USA Today, 9/25/20
- I Never Promised You a Rose Garden: Melania Trump’s Renovation of a National Treasure — USA Today, 8/25/20
- The Total Destruction of U.S. Foreign Policy Under Trump — Foreign Policy, 7/31/20
- Women Must Continue to Persist to Rise as Political Leaders of America — The Hill, 7/2/20
- America Was the Keeper of Democracy. We Were Imperfect but We Kept Trying, Until Now. — USA Today, 6/11/20
- Americans Should Actually Give a Damn About the Rest of the World — The Hill, 5/8/20
- A Coronavirus Leadership Manual for Trump: It’s Clear, Direct and Takes an Hour to Read — USA Today, 4/17/20
- During the Coronavirus Epidemic, We Will Be Separated. We Still Have to Stick Together. — USA Today, 3/13/20
- Attack on US Embassy in Iraq Shows Trump Is Failing. He Walked Into Iran’s Trap. — USA Today, 1/2/20