In the Madam Secretary episode ‘The Dissent Memo’, while Chief of Staff Russell Jackson (Zeljko Ivanek) needs help getting the president on the ballot in Ohio, the Dalton administration is hearing criticism from the Bureau of African Affairs for its lack of attention to the upcoming Angolan election. Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (Tea Leoni) meets with Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, Susan Thompson, in an effort to ease her Bureau’s fears.
Susan Thompson, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, is portrayed by Tonya Pinkins. She’s known for her roles on Gotham (Ms. Ethel Peabody), Army Wives (Viola Crawford), All My Children (Livia Frye Cudahy), 24 (Alama Matobo), and in the TV mini-series 11.22.63 — about a high school teacher (James Franco) who travels back in time to prevent JFK’s assassination, among others. Madam Secretary airs Sundays at 9pm on CBS.
