Michigan native Bridget Brink, former U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia (2019-22) and Ukraine (2022-25), will be the featured speaker to give a lecture as a part of Michigan State University’s Center for European and Eurasian Studies’ Distinguished Lecture Series at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 17 in Michigan State’s International Center.

The CEES Distinguished Lecture Series focuses on the challenges democratic systems encounter in the face of rising authoritarianism across the Eurasian continent and around the globe.

Brink’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled “The Necessity of American Leadership on the Global Stage.” A Q&A session and reception will follow.

In addition to CEES, the event is co-sponsored by MSU Department of History, Department of Political Science and James Madison College.

The invitation to Ambassador Brink to speak at MSU came on the strength of many recommendations from MSU colleagues and members of the broader community.

“I attended a meeting of Ambassador Brink with community at the Ukrainian American Archives and Museum in Hamtramck in May last year and thought she was a wonderful speaker with unique expertise and understanding of the region within our Center’s purview,” said Volodymyr Tarabara, director of the Center for European and Eurasian Studies, and professor of environmental engineering.

Brink has devoted 28 years as a U.S. Foreign Service officer. She is a national security expert who began her career during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s and was the junior-most member of the U.S.-led peace negotiations in Rambouillet and Paris in 1999. She served in Cyprus, Georgia, Uzbekistan, in multiple jobs in the State Department, and as a director in President Obama’s National Security Council.

Brink earned her bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and two master’s degrees from the London School of Economics.

Register on Eventbrite to attend the Nov. 17 lecture featuring Bridget Brink.