Gillian Sorensen is a former

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

assistant secretary-general for external relations who works with groups and organizations committed to peace, justice, development, refugees, and human rights. In 2018 she addressed the National Model United Nations (NMUN), attended by students from over 130 countries. Sorensen serves as a member of the board of the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1 ...

and as a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

Early life and education

Sorensen grew up in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, the daughter of parents who were active in politics and civic affairs. She is a graduate of

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

and studied at the Sorbonne. She has twice been an Institute of Politics Fellow at the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Personal life

Gillian Sorensen (ne Martin) is the widow of Theodore C. Sorensen, who served as President John F. Kennedy's speechwriter and Special Counsel to the President in the White House. They are the parents of a daughter,

Juliet Sorensen Juliet Sorensen (born 1972/1973) is an American lawyer. She is a clinical professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law. She directs the Northwestern Access to Health Project, an interdisciplinary global health program. Early life Bor ...

Notes

References

''NAFSA'' United Nations Foundation Advocate Gillian Sorensen to Headline Third Day of NAFSA Conference"USC" USC Public Diplomacy Fall Speaker Series Public Diplomacy Fall Speaker Series: Gillian Sorensen

External links

Gillian Sorensen interviewed on ''Conversations from Penn State''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Gillian People from Grand Rapids, Michigan Smith College alumni University of Paris alumni Harvard Kennedy School people University of Southern California faculty Living people American officials of the United Nations Year of birth missing (living people)