the dinah
Why Condoleezza Rice deserves the Dinah Award
Condoleezza Rice's favorite hole at Augusta National is White Dogwood, the par-4 11th. "It's not about if I have or have not made a birdie as to why I like that hole so much," Rice smiles. "It's just an incredible hole to play, and it is the beginning of 'Amen Corner.'" Whenever Rice has a nice walk around the club, where she was among the first female members as well as the first Black woman member, she walks a path of progress set forth by the late Dinah Shore.
Shore, the beloved television and film star, founded her eponymous LPGA Tour event in 1972 and it became a major championship in 1983. She broke barriers as the first female member of Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles and was the first individual named an Honorary Member of the LPGA Hall of Fame. During this year's Chevron Championship, as her event is now known, Golf Digest in partnership with Chevron introduced a new award to celebrate her legacy.
"The Dinah" honors a current visionary leader who exemplifies generosity and dedication to advancing women. The committee roundly agreed the inaugural winner of the Dinah Award could be no one else but Dr. Rice.
Andrew Redington
The 66th United States Secretary of State and the 19th U.S. National Security Advisor, Rice, with her trailblazing career of public service, set a new standard for women's leadership. "Faith, family, education is the armor against all of life's battles," Rice says. How she has inspired progress for women in sport and the game of golf is a continuation of actions started years ago. In 1991, she co-founded the Center for New Generation in East Palo Alto, Calif., to improve high school graduation rates. Students enjoyed expanded programs to develop reading, STEM skills and pathways to continued educational opportunities in college. The Center for New Generation has grown into a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America, expanding its reach to Atlanta, Birmingham and Dallas.
Rice grew up as the only child of educators, and she carries their spirit as a professor of political science at Stanford University. This motivation to uplift those who desire to learn also led Rice to another significant partnership. Through the KPMG Leadership Summit, established in 2015, each year, Rice joins the brightest minds in business, sports and entertainment for the shared goal of empowering women to recognize that ascension to the C-suite is attainable. Attendees are immersed in golf to recognize the game's benefits for building relationships.
Such settings and opportunities do not happen by chance. "Dr. Rice recognizes that women who continue their commitment to personal growth need access to other women who don't always look like them but are role models who can let them know that any woman can achieve, and that can be life changing," says Georgia Godfrey, CEO of Foresight Strategies, the communications firm steeped in Rice's work.
Rice has become a force in sports. She's part owner of the Denver Broncos, helps raise capital for the WNBA, was a member of the college football playoff committee and regularly speaks to women's teams at Stanford, including the top-ranked women's golf team. It's a world she was introduced to via her father, John Wesley Rice, Jr. "My dad shared sports with me, and we watched them all, including golf. He loved watching Arnold Palmer play."
Once golf clubs were placed in her hands, she recognized that the combination of nature's beauty with extended periods of mental and physical focus, wrapped neatly in the aura of competition, was natural for her. Rice is one of the most visible members of Augusta National, advocating for the future of golf in her support of the annual Drive, Chip and Putt and Augusta National Women's Amateur competitions. She remembers when she first put on one of the most well-known symbols of excellence in sport in 2012.
"I was blown away after putting the jacket on and realizing that Augusta National is a timeless place that does accommodate change. ... Much like the American story, it's an institution that has overcome a birth defect in history. And I cannot talk about Augusta National without talking about the people there at the club, the staff and each and every person you encounter at that special place. They are amazing."
Along with her green jacket, Rice now has another prized possession—her award for The Dinah is a sculpture designed by artist Malcolm DeMille. She also gets to direct $100,000 to an organization of her choice.
Some parting words from Rice: "Golf teaches things most sports do and not because it's just you and that ball and the course. It challenges us to identify our strengths and weaknesses and requires that we focus on getting better at the things that are hard for us—this will serve us well in life."