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Cathie Black Complains About The "Pounding" She Took
By
Garth Johnston
Published Apr 8, 2011
Modified Apr 8, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Apr 8, 2011
Modified Apr 8, 2011
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Cathie Black, the ex-Schools Chancellor, has given her first interview since getting canned (besides the quotes she gave last night about shoe shopping) and its about what you might expect. She "feels fine" but maybe none of this would have been a problem if she had balls? Specifically she wonders if "I were a guy, would I have had the pounding that I did?"
The Fortune reporter who got the scoop then asks Black if she thinks her precipitous fall from favor had something to do with the "glass cliff" (in which "Ambitious women find themselves on the "glass cliff" after well-intentioned men, in pursuit of diversity goals, appoint them to positions beyond their level of competence.") which gets this answer:
"There may be some truth in that," Black says, all but admitting that for a manager like her, with no professional experience in education, heading America's largest public school system was above her capabilities. "It was like having to learn Russian in a weekend—and then give speeches in Russian and speak Russian in budget committee and City Council meetings."
She also complains about how she was covered in the media ("And the worst pictures!") but is looking forward to the future. "Clearly she's disappointed, but she is also relieved—to escape the paparazzi, dress in designer clothes again, and eat at old haunts like Michael's, the media-elite lunchtime canteen."
But don't worry, this won't be the last we see of Black. "I'm a warrior," the 66-year-old tells the magazine before saying that she has lots of "Different options to consider...I'm not in a rush."
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cathie black
mayor bloomberg
Garth Johnston
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