Built during the reign of Queen Victoria, the ornate structure was built when Britain reigned as the world's undisputed economic, financial and industrial superpower.
Dame Karen Pierce has spent more than four decades at the forefront of British diplomacy, building a reputation as one of the United Kingdom’s most influential international representatives. A history-maker, she has the unique distinction of being the first woman to hold posts of British Ambassador to the United States and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
But on a recent Tuesday in July at the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in the heart of Westminster, she played another particularly special role: as lecturer and narrator to a group of USF students enrolled in the USF in London summer program.
Inside the walls where historic treaties have been signed, the future of post WWII Europe was plotted and King Edward VII’s coronation was celebrated, USF Associate Professor Scott Solomon’s British Politics, Culture, and Life class spent time with Dame Karen learning about her trailblazing career and her current assignment as Special Envoy to the Western Balkans.
The gathering was hosted by Ben Ingelbrecht, Political Desk Officer in the U.S. and Canada Department. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is the location of the UK Foreign Secretary’s office, a role which is broadly equivalent to the U.S. Secretary of State. The students visited just days before the role transferred from Yvette Cooper, who went on to become Health Secretary, to new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who took office July 20.
Dame Karen served as the British Ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2025, considered to be the most prestigious post in the British foreign service, after serving from 2018 to 2020 as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Her career has included some of the world’s toughest assignments, including serving as the UK’s Ambassador to Afghanistan and working on efforts to support peace, security, and international cooperation. She also has been recognized for championing women’s participation in politics and peacebuilding initiatives.
This iconic front view of 10 Downing Street, home to the British Prime Minister, is just a few minutes’ walk from the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
USF students visited the Locarno Conference Room, where the Locarno Treaties were formally signed in 1925 to help secure peace in post-WWI Europe.
Born in Preston, Lancashire, Pierce joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1981 after studying English at Girton College, Cambridge. Her early diplomatic assignments took her to Japan and then on to roles around the world, including the tough duty of serving in Kabul from 2015 to 2016, where she pursued initiatives to support peace, security, and international cooperation. It was during her time at United Nations that she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in recognition her services to British foreign policy.
Colleagues and observers have described Pierce as a skilled negotiator who combines firmness with diplomacy, while projecting a confident and approachable persona. She shared with the USF students her fondness for the United States, her appreciation of the "Special Relationship" (the term coined by Sir Winston Churchill after WWII to describe the nations’ shared history and responsibility in forging a lasting peace) and the similarities of the political cultures of both countries.
Dame Karen's career has included some of the world’s toughest assignments, including serving as the UK’s Ambassador to Afghanistan and working on efforts to support peace, security, and international cooperation.
Dame Karen said her time in the U.S. cemented to her the deep roots of both countries in common law, respect for freedom and the rule of law, and constitutional commitments to the rights of citizens.
Students asked questions about her current role in the Western Balkans, the techniques diplomats use to get negotiations over the finish line, and her proudest accomplishments.
The Ambassador reflected on her leading role in the securing of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. in 2021. The agreement helped Australia acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines, making it only the second country — in addition to Great Britain — that U.S. shares sensitive naval nuclear propulsion technology. The agreement was heralded as a key to keeping the Indo-Pacific Region secure, stable and free of hostilities.
“Dame Karen’s inspiring personal and professional journey is an incredible lesson for students, who during their time in London are experiencing the people and places that have shaped history,” said Solomon, who is associate professor of USF’s School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies and co-leads the London summer program. “We are deeply grateful for the unforgettable insights and wisdom she shared with those who may one day follow in her footsteps and help shape the future.”