Connie Britton named U.N. goodwill ambassador

NEW YORK, April 3 (UPI) -- Connie Britton, who played the eternally wise and comforting Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights, was named a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Development Program on Wednesday.

Britton, currently starring on ABC's Nashville, shared photos of the induction ceremony on Instagram.

The 47-year-old actress called the position "one of the greatest opportunities of my life."

“In my own travels, I’ve seen many places where people are living in extreme poverty. It’s unacceptable that, in 2014, one billion people live in such conditions, and a full sixty per cent of the chronically hungry in the world are women,” Britton said of her new position. “I look forward to working with UNDP to help change this and improve the lives of vulnerable people worldwide.”

“Connie is passionately committed to humanitarian causes and she will be a great partner for UNDP, helping us raise awareness of development issues amongst the American and global public," UNDP Director for External Relations Michael O’Neill said in a statement.

[UN.org, E! News]