Samantha Jane Power is an Irish-American journalist, diplomat, writer, and government official known for her work in human rights and foreign policy. Born in Dublin, Ireland, on September 21, 1970, she moved to the United States with her family in 1979 at the age of nine, settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Power began her career as a war correspondent covering the Yugoslav Wars in the early 1990s, which profoundly influenced her advocacy for genocide prevention. She gained prominence with her 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning book 'A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,' which critiqued U.S. foreign policy on humanitarian interventions. Power's academic career included roles as a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School, where she focused on human rights and international affairs.

Power entered government service during the Obama administration, serving as a special assistant to the president and senior director for multilateral affairs on the National Security Council from 2009 to 2013. She then served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017, where she was a vocal advocate for human rights, pushing for actions against atrocities in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere. After leaving the UN role, she returned to Harvard as the Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed her as Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a position she held until 2025, overseeing U.S. foreign aid and development programs amid global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Throughout her career, Power has been a member of the Democratic Party and a key figure in progressive foreign policy circles, emphasizing the 'responsibility to protect' doctrine. She has authored several books and articles, contributing to discussions on international law and ethics. Her work has drawn both praise for advancing human rights and criticism for perceived inconsistencies in U.S. policy implementation, particularly regarding interventions in Libya and Syria. Power is married to legal scholar Cass Sunstein since 2008, and they have two children.