Gillian Sorensen
2014 ALI Fellow
Gillian Sorensen has had a long career with the United Nations including nine years as Assistant Secretary-General and as Special Adviser for Public Policy. She worked closely with three Secretaries-General, hundreds of diplomats and countless non-governmental organizations committed to peace, justice, human rights, refugee support and the rights of women and girls. She is an eloquent advocate and public speaker and has addressed audiences including civic and religious leaders, diplomats and journalists, military cadets and more, both here and abroad. At the start of her career, she led the city's liaison office with 30,000 diplomats based in New York. A New York Times profile once referred to her as "The Diplomat's Diplomat."
Gillian is a graduate of Smith College and has twice been a Fellow at Harvard. She is a member of the Board of the International Rescue Committee and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is active in Democratic politics and a devotee of music and dance.