MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, 56, has died; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 15, 2022

David Wickert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, 56, has died

"MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, who led the public transit agency through an era of expansion and pandemic, died Friday night, the agency confirmed.

The agency said Parker died by suicide. An agency official confirmed he was struck by a train at the East Lake station. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office said it could release no details of Parker’s death until its investigation is complete.

“The MARTA Board of Directors grieves the shocking death of our GM/CEO Jeff Parker who has died by suicide,” Chairwoman Rita Scott said in a statement Saturday. “He was an outstanding leader and steward of MARTA whose passing leaves us all heartbroken...

Only on rare occasion does The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report death by suicide. The newspaper will typically respect the privacy of grieving families in such a circumstance. But in this case, a well-known public figure’s family is sharing the news with the public as a way to counter the stigma attached to suicide. The newspaper is honoring that request...

SEEKING HELP: Individuals with suicidal thoughts, or those who notice signs in others, can call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225, which is available around the clock. All calls are free and confidential. To find a mental health service provider, visit www.mygcal.com."

Help wanted: What Metro needs from its next general manager; NPR, January 24, 2022

JORDAN PASCALE, NPR; Help wanted: What Metro needs from its next general manager

"With Paul Wiedefeld stepping down in six months, Metro's board will be looking for a new leader to steer WMATA through some of its most trying times.

Using what we know about the system, and through interviews and statements from politicians and transit advocates, we put together a "job posting" to highlight what the next general manager will face when they come on board. (And no, this is not the official job posting. Metro's board is still working on that, we just hope this is a clever way to present the news)."

Can Carnegie Museums attract a dynamic leader who also knows how to raise money?; Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 8, 2018

Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Can Carnegie Museums attract a dynamic leader who also knows how to raise money?

"Competing for talent

For trustees, finding a new president is always a challenge but this year, competition for quality candidates will be fierce. At least a dozen museums are searching for new leaders, including four New York venues — the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Folk Art Museum, the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Queens Museum.  Others are the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Mo.; the North Carolina Museum of Art; the Taos Art Museum in New Mexico; and the brand new $41 million Institute for Contemporary Art in Richmond, Va.

Kevin Hiles, executive vice president and chief operating officer, leads the transition team, which includes directors of The Andy Warhol Museum, the natural history museum and the Carnegie Science Center’s co-directors.

Mr. Hunt remains optimistic.

“This isn’t a search for a museum director; it’s a search for the president of a legendary institution that’s been part of the fabric of Pittsburgh for 120-plus years. Here, a president has the opportunity to work with four diverse, dynamic museums that are cultural anchors in the Pittsburgh community and leaders in their respective areas of museum study and focus,” he said."

Trump’s America is a rotten place; Washington Post, 1/20/17

Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post; Trump’s America is a rotten place

"President Trump delivered a campaign speech, not an inaugural address today. That he and his staff do not understand the difference goes to the heart of his insufficiency as a leader. Addressing a shockingly sparse crowd, he painted a picture of a hellish America that can only be restored by turning inward, deciding the world is a burden and our allies are thieves...

What was missing was virtually any vision of what he wants America to be. The most we got was a promise to “build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels and railways all across our wonderful nation” and to get “people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.” Beyond that he cannot describe a renewed America. More opportunities? More productive? More understanding between segments of America?

There was one brief positive moment in the speech when he offered an olive branch to our allies. “We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and reform the world against radical Islamic terrorism which we will eradicate from the face of the earth.” He unfortunately followed it with a creepy statism in which we define our personal relationships through nationalistic loyalty. “At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.” We actually have relationships, loyalties and bonds with one another that are the fabric of society and do not need to be redefined as an outgrowth of a new sort of nationalism. Conservatives  who value civil society free from government should be horrified — if they have intellectual integrity.

There has never and will not be a better Trump. His vision is dark, false and frightening. He leads by stoking nativism, protectionism (which actually makes us poorer) and seething resentment. God help us all.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective."