How does a kid from a troubled home decide to become an international diplomat? And what kind of parties does the State Department throw? Susan Rice reveals all in her conversation with Michael Steele. Ambassador Susan Rice served as the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017. Rice was on the staff of the National Security Council and was the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during President Bill Clinton's second term. A Brookings Institution fellow, she served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013. Her new book is Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For.