From Left to Right: Riva Levinson, Former U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Why Book Riva to Speak
Riva brings thirty years of real experience in the rooms where U.S.-Africa policy is actually made. She has sat across the table from heads of state, navigated Washington's most complex corridors of power, and helped elect a Nobel Prize winner.
Her talks combine the credibility of a Washington insider with the accessibility of a gifted storyteller, drawing audiences from policy professionals to students who see themselves in her journey.
With the 10th Anniversary Edition of Choosing the Hero releasing in May 2026, this is a timely moment to bring her story to your audience. Riva is available for keynotes, panels, fireside conversations, and university lectures, in person and virtually.
Key Themes for Talks
The Power of Personalist Diplomacy
The book highlights the weight of friendship and demonstrates how a dedicated operative and a visionary leader can bypass bureaucracy to achieve existential results.
Women, Power & the Long Game
The unlikely friendship between Riva and President Sirleaf—and what it teaches us about female solidarity, political will, and how women can build power in institutions designed to exclude them.
U.S.-Africa: Beyond the Headlines
Drawing on three decades of on-the-ground experience, this talk examines what Washington gets wrong, what it gets right, and what the next chapter of partnership between the U.S. and African states requires to succeed.
How Washington Really Works
For students and emerging professionals: an unvarnished look at the lobbying and advocacy machinery that shapes U.S. foreign policy—and how to navigate it with integrity.
The Security-Governance Nexus
A reminder that "stabilization" is the non-negotiable floor for progress. The narrative documents the decisive interventions of the Bush administration that paved the way for Liberia's reconstruction.
Principled Pragmatism
The book focuses on the uncomfortable process of change. It offers an honest look at the trade-offs, unfinished business, and the messy reality of political transformation.
