Samantha Power, former United States ambassador to the United Nations, will speak at Northwestern on Oct. 2 as part of the Contemporary Thought Speaker Series.

The event, co-hosted by CTSS, Global Engagement Summit and the Department of Political Science, will be held at Ryan Family Auditorium in Technological Institute. Political science Prof. Wendy Pearlman will moderate the conversation with Power, CTSS chairman Ben Zimmermann said.

Power began her career as a journalist covering the Yugoslav Wars before becoming senior foreign policy adviser to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. She won a 2003 Pulitzer Prize for her book, “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.”

“She’s really an interdisciplinary (academic), which is really the perfect type of type of person CTSS is looking to bring to campus,” said Zimmermann, a Weinberg senior. “We’re really excited to hear her thoughts on the current state of politics and foreign affairs during such an interesting time.”

During her time with the Obama administration, Power focused on women’s rights, religious minorities, refugees, human rights and foreign policy, among other things.

Power is now a professor at both Harvard Law School and the university’s Kennedy School of Government.

“Samantha Power represents a lot of our values we hold as an organization,” said Medill senior Mollie Leavitt, campus relations co-chair for GES. “She is someone that has dedicated her entire life’s work to engage with the world around her and making the world a better place.”

Admission to the event is free to students, faculty and staff. Tickets will be made available online through Eventbrite, according to a news release.

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