Iggy Azalea cancels Pride appearance, but critics wary; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/8/15

Chris Potter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Iggy Azalea cancels Pride appearance, but critics wary:

"Organizers of this weekend’s Pittsburgh Pride activities announced Monday evening that Australian pop star Iggy Azalea, the controversial headliner for a Pride in the Street concert on Saturday, was canceling her appearance at the LGBT event.

It remains to be seen whether the move appeases critics of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, which sponsors Pride.

“We’re sorry that our headliner choice caused a division within our community but we believe that change happens through conversation,” Delta said in a statement. “We are meeting with key LGBT leaders to start a discussion that will make our collective community even stronger.”"

Carnegie Museums president at center of controversy over Sweet Briar College closure; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/7/15

Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Carnegie Museums president at center of controversy over Sweet Briar College closure:

"In August, Jo Ellen Parker arrived in Pittsburgh and became the 10th president of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and the first woman to lead the nonprofit consortium...

Maggie Saylor Patrick, a former Sweet Briar board member, in a commentary in the Washington Post’s online higher education section, blamed the closing on “poor leadership” during Ms. Parker’s presidency from 2009 through 2014. Key people in power, Ms. Patrick wrote, “froze out the broader board membership and even fired members who disagreed with their policies.”

Sweet Briar professor Daniel Gottlieb asserted in the same Washington Post section that the college’s leaders “have made misleading through numbers an art form.”

In a third Washington Post online essay, Diane Dalton, a current board member, called the attack on Ms. Parker unfair, saying she displayed “notably strong leadership at a time when a perfect storm of external forces beyond her control was brewing.” Two additional board members wrote in a fourth Washington Post column that the school’s financial woes “had been building for decades.”

Bill Hunt, chair of the trustees of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, said he is pleased with Ms. Parker, calling her “a strong leader and visionary thinker.

“When we were searching for Carnegie Museums’ new president, our search firm, Spencer Stuart, proactively recruited Jo Ellen based on her impressive career as an educator, a college administrator and a thoughtful leader. As she was thoroughly vetted by both the search firm and our search committee — which included detailed discussions with many individuals, including Sweet Briar’s board chair — it became apparent that we had found our next president.”"

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook: Diversity Is ‘the Future of Our Company’; Time, 6/8/15

John Kell, Time; Apple’s CEO Tim Cook: Diversity Is ‘the Future of Our Company’ :

"Apple’s CEO Tim Cook doesn’t mince words when asked about the importance of diversity: “I think the most diverse group will produce the best product, I firmly believe that.”

In an interview with Mashable ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) Monday, Cook told the website that Apple is a “better company” by being more diverse. He says a lack of diversity in tech isn’t because women don’t want to be involved in the sector. Instead, Cook places the blame on the broader tech community saying generally, “We haven’t done enough to reach out to show young women that it’s cool to do it and how much fun it can be.”

Apple is certainly part of the problem. A workforce data report last year showed that just 30% of its global workforce is female. And leadership positions at Apple skew even more white and male than the broader workforce. Cook has in the past said he’s not satisfied with the numbers."