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'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 served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
as the
, serving in
Rome
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, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, and chief of the
United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
The United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government. Rome is unusual in that there are three U.S. Ambassadors located there; the other U.S. diplomatic mis ...
. Before that, she worked in a variety of public and private sector positions, first as a
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
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, education, and early career
Cousin grew up in the poor
Lawndale neighborhood of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, 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
Lane Tech College Prep High School (often shortened to Lane Tech, full name Albert Grannis Lane Technical College Preparatory High School), is a public 4-year selective enrollment magnet high school located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on ...
, 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. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...
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 research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law schools in continuous ...
in 1982. At the University of Georgia School of Law, she studied international law under professor, and former
U.S. Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
,
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 F ...
.
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, Illinois, the attorne ...
'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. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
.
Washington years
Cousin moved to
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and during 1993 worked as deputy chief of staff for the
Democratic National Committee. She joined the
Clinton administration 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
The second inauguration of Bill Clinton as president of the United States was held on Monday, January 20, 1997, at the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. This was the 53rd inauguration and marked the commencemen ...
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 independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...
. At the same time, she was vice-president for government and community affairs for
Jewel Food stores
Jewel-Osco is a regional supermarket chain in the Chicago metropolitan area, headquartered in Itasca, a western suburb. In 2007, the company had 188 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and portions of northwes ...
. 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
Feeding America is a United States–based nonprofit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. ...
, 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 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
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
. 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 served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
to become
, serving in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. She was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
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
The United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government. Rome is unusual in that there are three U.S. Ambassadors located there; the other U.S. diplomatic mis ...
and is part of the "Tri-Mission Community" that also includes the
United States Ambassador to Italy
Since 1840, the United States has had diplomatic representation in the Italian Republic and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Italy, with a break in relations from 1941 to 1944 while Italy and the U.S. were at war during World War II. The U. ...
and the
United States Ambassador to the Holy See
The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the official representative of the United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representation began with the formal opening of diplomatic re ...
.
During her time in Rome, she set up new country-led aid programs. She worked towards providing food relief to
Port-au-Prince following the devastating
2010 Haiti earthquake
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's c ...
. 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 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, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
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 a narrow victory over Democratic ...
.
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
In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another.
...
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 (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
in the aftermath of
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
,
Syria with its civil war and the
Sahel region of Africa.
Later career
After leaving WFP, Cousin became the Payne Distinguished Professor at
Stanford University'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.
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 and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. se ...
and
Todd Young
Todd Christopher Young (born August 24, 1972) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator for Indiana, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Young previously served as the U.S. re ...
. CSIS was founded by
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
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), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
, 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 m ...
.
Other activities
Corporate boards
*
Bayer, member of the Supervisory Board (since 2019)
*
DSM
DSM or dsm may refer to:
Science and technology
* Deep space maneuver
* Design structure matrix or dependency structure matrix, a representation of a system or project
* Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
** DSM-5, the fifth ed ...
, 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 wit ...
, member of the Board of Directors (since 2018)
Compact2025 member of the Leadership Council
*
National Democratic Institute (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 SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
Ban Ki-moon)
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 ...
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 owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' 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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
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
African-American businesspeople
African-American diplomats
African-American people in Illinois politics
African-American women in politics
American business executives
Philanthropists from Illinois
American women ambassadors
Ambassadors of the United States
American women in business
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
21st-century American women