Lives of Consequence
Nancy Bernkopf Tucker '70
Professor of History, Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service
An authority on U.S. diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China and a professor of history at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, Nancy Bernkopf Tucker was the nation's first assistant deputy director of national intelligence for analytic integrity and standards, a post she held in 2006 and 2007.
Tucker's contributions to the NIA included the advancement of the National Intelligence Strategy, creation of a research schema in analytic methodology and much more. She also served in the U.S. government as a China specialist in the Department of State and the U.S. embassy in Beijing as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow.
Upon graduating from William Smith with a B.A. in history, Tucker spent eight years studying at Columbia University where she earned an M.A. in history, an M. Phil. in American and East Asian relations, a certificate from the East Asian Institute, and a Ph.D. Early in her professional career, she taught at New York University and Colgate University. On a fellowship from the Council on Foreign Relations, Tucker served on the China desk at the State Department and in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing before joining the Georgetown faculty in 1987.
A scholar, Tucker wrote hundreds of articles and was the author or editor of eight books, one of which, "Uncertain Friendships: Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States, 1945 to 1992" (1994), received an award from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations.
At HWS, Tucker displayed her strong academics and engaged co-curricular involvement, earning a place on the Dean's List for four years and a place in Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Gamma Mu, the international honors society for social sciences, which she served as president. Outside the classroom, Tucker was a member of Colloquium, The Herald, the International Relations Club and William Smith Congress. She also served as the chair of the Student Academic Affairs Committee and a student representative for the Faculty Academic Affairs Committee.
In the summer of her junior year, Tucker took part in the Neglected Languages Program which enabled her to go to Stanford University with the help of a fellowship from the National Science Fellowship for study in the Chinese language. Before graduating summa cum laude in 1970, Tucker was awarded the John Milton Potter Prize for a distinguished academic record in the humanities, the Pi Gamma Mu Memorial Scholarship and highest honors in history. She was also named in the "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges."
In 1987, she was awarded the Stuart L. Bernath Prize for achievement in research and teaching. The National Intelligence Association awarded Tucker its prestigious National Intelligence Achievement Medal. The award recognizes outstanding service to the United States by a member of the intelligence community.
Tucker passed away in December 2012.