Statement by the Press Secretary on Appointment of Dr. Cindy L. Courville to the National Security Council

National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice announced the appointment of Dr. Cindy L. Courville as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. Dr. Courville will develop and coordinate United States policy engagement with Africa.

Dr. Courville previously served as Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from June 2001 through August 2003. Dr. Courville has served as the Director for East African Affairs in the Office of the Secretary for Defense, where she was responsible for the coordination of U.S. military and security policy with East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

Prior to her service in government, Dr. Courville was an Assistant Professor at Hanover College in Indiana and Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Dr. Courville holds a B.A. and M.A. in political science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a M.A. and Ph.D. in comparative politics and international relations from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver.