About the Honoree

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  Claire C. Shipman ’86, SIPA’94

  Claire Shipman ’86, SIPA’94 is a journalist, author and public speaker, with deep expertise in international relations, U.S. politics and women’s leadership. She has co-authored four New York Times best-selling books on women, girls and leadership. A fifth, on women and power, is scheduled to be published in May 2023. Shipman’s research on the economic argument for more women in leadership, as well as on the confidence gap between men and women, girls and boys, and the science behind it, has refocused the national discussion at regular intervals and driven important changes in the workplace and at schools. Her forthcoming book focuses on the ways in which women are redefining power — scientifically, philosophically and practically. It builds on the case she’s been making for years: Female leadership benefits everyone — companies, governments, communities and families. Shipman has also hosted numerous discussions at the White House and the State Department on women’s issues.

  Before turning to writing, Shipman built a career as one of the nation’s leading television journalists. At CNN, NBC and ABC she covered major events around the world, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the election of multiple American Presidents, and through her reporting became a trusted, analytical voice on domestic and foreign policy matters. Shipman spent 15 years as a senior correspondent and substitute anchor for ABC’s Good Morning America and regularly contributed to the network’s other flagship shows, such as This Week and World News Tonight. Before that, she served as White House correspondent for NBC News for five years, reporting on presidential policy and politics for NBC Nightly News and Today, and was a monthly columnist for George magazine. During her decade at CNN, she covered the White House, anchored political coverage and was posted in Moscow for five years, including as the Soviet Union collapsed.

  Shipman is a vice-chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and has been a member of the board for nine years, focused on academic affairs, crisis management and communications. She is also on the Board of Directors of Washington Spirit, the reigning championship team of the National Women’s Soccer League, and played a key role in resolving a recent, high-profile ownership dispute.

  Shipman’s books have all appeared on multiple best-seller lists, the last two reaching number 1 on the New York Times list. She received a National Headliners Award and a Peabody Award for her incisive, often round-the-clock reporting from Moscow, which included exclusive interviews with Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev as power changed hands. She was presented a DuPont Award and an Emmy Award for coverage of the 1989 Tiananmen Square student uprising, and a DuPont Award for coverage of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Shipman was presented a 1999 John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement from Columbia College.

  Shipman earned an M.I.A. from SIPA and a B.A. in Russian studies.

  She lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.