Ertharin Cousin (born 1957) is an American lawyer who served as the twelfth
executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme from 2012 to 2017. Following the completion of her term, Cousin became Payne Distinguished Professor at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
's
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Stanford University has many centers and institutes dedicated to the study of various specific topics. These centers and institutes may be within a department, within a school but across departments, an independent laboratory, institute or center ...
, distinguished fellow at the Center on Food Security and the Environment and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, accepted an appointment as a distinguished fellow with
the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and became a trustee on the UK based Power of Nutrition Board of Directors.
Cousin served from 2009 to 2012 under President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
as the
, serving in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, and chief of the
United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome. Before that, she worked in a variety of public and private sector positions, first as a
Democratic Party official, later specializing in the food industry and related charities from the late 1990s on. In 2014, Cousin was ranked number 45th on the
''Forbes'' list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women and she was named to the
''Time'' 100 most influential people in the world list.
Early life and education
Cousin grew up in the
Lawndale neighborhood of
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, along with her three sisters. Her mother, Anna Cousin, worked in the social services field and her father often engaged in volunteer community development work. In 1971, she was one of 300 female freshmen and 86 sophomores to enter
Lane Technical High School, Chicago's top-rated high school of 5,000-plus students that had been all-male until that fall. She graduated in 1975.
Cousin earned a B.A. degree from the
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
in 1979 and a J.D. degree from the
University of Georgia School of Law
The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a Public university, public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it one of the oldest American university law ...
in 1982. At the University of Georgia School of Law, she studied international law under professor, and former
U.S. Secretary of State,
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909December 20, 1994) was the United States secretary of state from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, the second-longest serving secretary of state after Cordell Hull from the ...
.
Cousin worked in Illinois as assistant attorney general and Western Regional Office director for the
Illinois Attorney General
The Illinois attorney general is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, the attorney general ...
's office and as deputy director of the Chicago Ethics Board. In the private sector she was director of governmental affairs for
AT&T
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
.
Washington years
Cousin moved to
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and during 1993 worked as deputy chief of staff for the
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
. She joined the
Clinton administration
Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
in 1994 as the White House liaison at the
U.S. State Department. There she received a Meritorious Service Award. She served as senior advisor to the Secretary of State during the
1996 Olympic Games
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
.
In 1996, she stepped down from that post in order to run the Illinois operation of the
Clinton–Gore presidential campaign. After the campaign's victory, she served as vice-president of government, community and political affairs for the
second inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1997.
Food industry and charity
In 1997, Cousin received a White House appointment for a four-year term to the board for International Food and Agricultural Development. There she supported many of the agricultural projects being run by the
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998 ...
. At the same time, she was vice-president for government and community affairs for
Jewel Food stores. In 1999,
Albertsons LLC
Albertsons Companies, Inc. is an American grocery company founded and headquartered in Boise, Idaho.
With 2,253 stores as of the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 and 270,000 employees as of fiscal year 2019, the company is the second-large ...
bought Jewel and Cousin became group vice president of public affairs for Albertsons and then senior vice president of public affairs. While working for Albertsons, she also served as president and chair of the company's corporate foundation, managing the organization's philanthropic activities. She also served as the Albertsons official spokesperson.
In 2002, Cousin joined the board of
America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger organization, and in 2004 she became its executive vice president and chief operating officer. Among her achievements during this period was leading the organization's response to
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
in 2005, an effort which resulted in the distribution of more than 62 million pounds of food to those in need across the
Gulf Coast region of the United States. Cousin helped raise the annual revenue of the organization from $20 million to $56 million during her time there.
Cousin left America's Second Harvest in 2006 and founded and served as president of the Polk Street Group, a national public affairs consulting firm located in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. In 2009, she handed over the reins to her son, Maurice Cousin, in order to accept an ambassadorial appointment.
Public sector
U.S. Ambassador, 2009–2012
On June 19, 2009, Cousin was nominated by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
to become
, serving in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. She was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on August 7, 2009, and sworn in as ambassador on August 17, 2009, where she served as chief of the
United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and is part of the "Tri-Mission Community" that also includes the
United States Ambassador to Italy
Since 1840, the United States has had diplomacy, diplomatic representation in the Italian Republic and its predecessor nations, the Kingdom of Sardinia and then the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946), Kingdom of Italy, with a break in relations fro ...
and the
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the Ambassadors of the United States, official representative of the United States, United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representati ...
.
During her time in Rome, she set up new country-led aid programs. She worked towards providing food relief to
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
following the devastating
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...
. She said that seeing the famous sights of Rome did not get old but that her biggest surprise in the job was "When people talked about 'Her Excellency, Ertharin Cousin.' You know, I grew up in Lawndale. You're a long way from there when someone's referring to you as 'Your Excellency.'"
Over 120 guests attended a March 2012 farewell event for her at the Chief of Mission Residence.
Executive director of World Food Programme, 2012–2017
In January 2012, the U.S. State Department announced that Cousin would become
executive director of the UN World Food Programme, succeeding
Josette Sheeran
Ambassador Josette Sheeran (born 12 June) is a decorated diplomat, humanitarian, entrepreneur and technology leader.
She served in the United States Department of State as Under Secretary of State for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cover ...
when the latter's term expired in April 2012. Cousin was supported in a quote made by US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
in reference to her appointment stating that Cousin "has been central to designing and implementing our country's food security policies. I am confident that she will continue to be a powerful voice in the global fight against hunger and lend her energy, optimism and experience to the World Food Programme." Indeed, Cousin received the nomination after the US opposed another term for Sheeran, who had been appointed by the
George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...
.
Cousin began her tenure as the twelfth executive director on April 5, 2012. In taking the position, she stated that she fully supported the WFP's transition from
food aid
Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance, usually in the short-term, to people in need. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. The primary objective of humanitarian ...
to food assistance: "I think that debate is over. That WFP is a food assistance organization, with the right tools and those tools include food aid. But also cash and vouchers and all the other things we have on the table." During her time in office, WFP support focused on the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
in the aftermath of
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...
,
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
with its civil war and the
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
region of Africa.
Later career
After leaving WFP, Cousin became the Payne Distinguished Professor at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
's
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Stanford University has many centers and institutes dedicated to the study of various specific topics. These centers and institutes may be within a department, within a school but across departments, an independent laboratory, institute or center ...
and distinguished fellow at the Center on Food Security and the Environment and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. She is also a distinguished fellow of global agriculture at the
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is an American international affairs think tank located in Chicago, Illinois, with a stated mission of "increasing knowledge and engagement in global affairs and empowering more people to help shape our glob ...
.
Since 2019, Cousin has been serving on the
Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) Task Force on Humanitarian Access, co-chaired by
Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...
and
Todd Young
Todd Christopher Young (born August 24, 1972) is an American politician, attorney, and Marine Corps veteran serving as the senior United States senator from Indiana, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Young previou ...
. CSIS was founded by
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in 1962, and the center conducts policy studies and strategic analyses of political, economic and security issues throughout the world, with a specific focus on issues concerning
international relations
International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...
, trade, technology, finance, energy and
geostrategy
Geostrategy, a subfield of geopolitics, is a type of foreign policy guided principally by geographical factors as they inform, constrain, or affect political and military planning. As with all strategies, geostrategy is concerned with matching me ...
.
Since 2020, she has served on the Board of Advisors for Angeleno Group, a private equity and venture capital firm focused on sustainable energy investments.
Other activities
Corporate boards
*
Mondelez International
Mondelēz International, Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational confectionery, food industry, food, Holding company, holding, drink industry, beverage and snack food company based in Chicago. Mondelez has an annual rev ...
, member of the Board of Directors (since 2021)
*
Bayer
Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...
, member of the supervisory board (since 2019)
*
DSM, member of the Sustainability Advisory Board (since 2018)
Non-profit organizations
*
Heifer International
Heifer International (also known as Heifer Project International) is a global nonprofit working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Heifer International distributes animals, along with ...
, member of the Board of Directors (since 2018)
* , member of the Leadership Council
*
National Democratic Institute
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a non-profit American non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to "support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability". It is ...
(NDI), member of the Ambassadors Circle
*
Women Political Leaders Global Forum (WPL), member of the Global Advisory Board
* Scaling Up Nutrition Movement, member of the Lead Group (2016–2017), appointed by
United Nations Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
)
Recognition
Cousin was inducted as a laureate of
the Lincoln Academy of Illinois
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the Order of Lincoln, the highest award given b ...
and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the governor of Illinois in 2015 in the area of Social Work. ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' listed Cousin in the
top 100 most powerful women globally on numerous occasions, including at #48 in 2016.
#48 Ertharin Cousin
/ref> In 2016, she received the Humanitarian Award of Action Against Hunger. She also was named to the ''Time'' 100 most influential people in the world list.
Personal life
Cousin is divorced and has one child. She is also a baptized Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
Sources
Footnotes
References
Biography at World Food Programme
*
Biography at The History Makers
Biography at The Polk Street Group
Interview in ''Chicago Tribune''
*
''Foreign Policy'' piece on Cousin appointment to World Food Programme, January 3, 2012
*
Forbes: Worlds Most Powerful Women
Forbes - The Worlds Most Powerful Women: 16 New Faces
Time The 100 Most Influential People
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cousin, Ertharin
1957 births
21st-century African-American businesspeople
21st-century American businesspeople
African-American diplomats
African-American people in Illinois politics
21st-century African-American women politicians
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century African-American politicians
American business executives
Philanthropists from Illinois
21st-century American diplomats
American women ambassadors
21st-century American businesswomen
AT&T people
American chief operating officers
Executive Directors of the World Food Programme
Illinois Democrats
Living people
Obama administration personnel
Politicians from Chicago
Representatives of the United States to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
Stanford University alumni
University of Georgia alumni
University of Illinois Chicago alumni
American officials of the United Nations
African-American Catholics
American Roman Catholics
21st-century American women civil servants
African-American women in business