Carolyn Curiel

Biographical Sketch

Carolyn Curiel has been a United States Ambassador, Senior Speechwriter and Special Assistant to the President of the United States. She recently served on the Editorial Board of The New York Times. 

The United States Senate unanimously confirmed Ms. Curiel in 1997 as U.S. Ambassador to Belize. There she advanced American interests on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including security, environment, border disputes and trade and economic cooperation.  She delivered long-stalled treaties and agreements on extradition, legal collaboration and increased counter-narcotics cooperation.

As White House speechwriter, Ms. Curiel concentrated on President Clinton’s “opportunity agenda” — education, health, environment and race relations.

Ambassador Curiel joined The Times Editorial Board in 2002. Another New York paper, The Observer, noting her role as the director of The Times’ elections endorsements, called her “perhaps the most powerful person in New York politics.”

She was an Emmy-nominated producer and writer for Ted Koppel at ABC News Nightline, head of the Caribbean Division for United Press International, and an editor at The Washington Post.  Throughout her career, she has received numerous honors for her work as a trailblazer and mentor.

Ambassador Curiel received a B.A. in Radio-TV-Film (Communication) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, which has honored her as a Distinguished Alumna most recently with an honorary doctorate.  Calumet College of St. Joseph in Indiana awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.  She serves on the Advisory Board of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University.