Original: Rice was the first black woman , second African American ( after her predecessor Colin Powell , who served from 2001 to 2005 ) , and the second woman ( after Madeleine Albright , who served from 1997 to 2001 in the Clinton Administration ) to serve as Secretary of State .
Simplified: Rice was the first African American woman , second African American ( after Powell ) , and second woman ( after Madeleine Albright ) to serve as Secretary of State .