Lessons from the Edge: A Conversation with the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch
The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh is honored to welcome Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch (ret.) for a discussion of her 33-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, most recently in Kyiv as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. Join us on Thursday, October 13 from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. EST in the Assembly Room of the William Pitt Union for an engaging conversation moderated by Dean Carissa Slotterback.
Former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, became a household name when she courageously testified during the 2019 Trump Impeachment. In her memoir, Lessons from the Edge, Yovanovitch claims her narrative on her own terms, reflecting on the arc of her fascinating life and courageous career in foreign policy and diplomacy. In the midst of a massive geopolitical shift, caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (the largest war in Europe since 1945), there is no better person to share their hard-won wisdom than Yovanovitch.
Born into a family that survived Soviet and Nazi terror, Yovanovitch’s life and work have taught her the preciousness of democracy as well as the dangers of corruption. Over decades as a career Foreign Service Officer, she has demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism, leadership in challenging times and difficult places, and a commitment to improve the global condition.
About the speaker:
Marie Yovanovitch served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan, in addition to other senior government positions during her thirty-three-year diplomatic career. She retired from the State Department in 2020 and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a non-resident fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. She has received multiple awards, including the Presidential Distinguished Service Award (twice), the Secretary’s Diplomacy for Freedom Award, the Trainor Award for Excellence in the Conduct of Diplomacy, and the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. She lives in the Washington, DC, area.
Please RSVP to the in-person event here.
Not in Pittsburgh or unable to attend in-person? Register to join us virtually.