Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright shows off her panda pin at the Aspen District Theatre on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012.
Madeline Albright, the first woman to serve as secretary of state, has followed in the footsteps of her two female successors, sending her first tweet into the world Monday morning.
The 76-year-old—whose predilection for big and flashy in her choice of brooch-wear is well known—accompanied her inaugural tweet with a photo of herself using her BlackBerry and an up-close shot of a pin perfect for the occasion, featuring a tiny yellow bird and the word, “TWEET.”
The Clinton-era secretary of state opted for an understated Twitter handle, @Madeleine, and she has already racked up roughly 10,000 Twitter followers.
In her Twitter bio, Albright describes herself as a “Grateful American Czech immigrant, mother & grandmother, fmr SecState, passionate democrat, author, prof, bizwoman, pin collector, & occasional drummer.”
Of the two women who served after Albright as America’s top diplomat, Condoleezza Rice is the most seasoned Twitter vet, having joined the social network in October of 2011. Hillary Clinton joined Twitter earlier this year. In welcoming Albright to the Twittervese Monday, Clinton revealed that she too was surprised to learn the grandmother and original glass ceiling cracker has a secret life as a drummer.
Albright’s isn’t the only high-profile Twitter account to open in recent days. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is famously private in his personal affairs, sent his first tweet over the weekend.