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Posts published in “African-American Firsts”

La June Montgomery Tabron Named President, CEO of the Kellogg Foundation

By goodblacknews on October 25, 2013
La June Montgomery Tabron Kellogg Foundation
A black woman has just been named as president and CEO of one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States.  According to a press release, La June Montgomery Tabron will take the helm at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as the president and CEO on January 1, making her the first African-American to lead the foundation in its 83-year history.  The rising executive will replace Sterling Sperin, who is stepping down as of December 31st after eight years.
The 51-year-old Detroit native has a long history with the company. Tabron started her career there at age 24. She began as a financial controller and rose within the company over the past 26 years into her current role of executive vice president of operations and treasurer.  “Growing up in a family of ten children in inner-city Detroit, I know first-hand the day-to-day challenges faced by the families we seek to help,” she explained in the press release. “In so many ways, my own journey illustrates the power and impact of what is possible with the right conditions.”
Tabron graduated with a business degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, and went on to acquire a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.  It goes without saying, black CEO’s are rare. If we take a look at the landscape of Fortune 500 companies, there are only six black CEO’s. Among those just one is a woman.
article by Rhonesha Byng via huffingtonpost.com

Letitia James Set to Become First Black Woman Public Advocate of NYC

By goodblacknews on October 4, 2013

NY-CP588_PUBLIC_G_20131001231438
As major political races heat up across the nation, one woman of color is proving that she can hold her own in a big city election.  Letitia James officially beat out Daniel Squadron for the Democratic nomination in the New York City’s Public Advocate’s runoff race Tuesday night, the Associate Press reports. She gained 60 percent of votes to Squadron’s 40 percent which secured her position and helped diversify the Democratic party nominees for city office.
Because James has no Republican rival, she is expected to be the first African-American woman to hold a citywide elected post upon final ballot counts.

“We did it. We did it. We did it,” the former councilwoman from Brooklyn said publicly during a victory celebration. “All of us broke through that glass ceiling, and I am so proud of what we accomplished together. I’m proud that we made history tonight.”

The position of Public Advocate was the only race to have a runoff in New York City and cost nearly $13 million.
article by Liane Membis via clutchmagonline.com

DaVita Vance-Cooks Becomes 1st African American and Female to Run U.S. Government Printing Office

By goodblacknews on August 5, 2013

davita-vance-cooks
DaVita Vance-Cooks was just named the nation’s public printer, making her both the first female and the first African American to lead the Government Printing Office in the agency’s 152-year history. Vance-Cooks’ appointment was approved by unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate. President Barack Obama nominated her for the position earlier this year.  DaVita Vance-Cooks is a graduate from Tufts University with an MBA from Columbia University.
It has been a mission of the new GPO head to re-brand the Government Printing Office and bring them up to speed in our digital society. She led the agency’s effort to partner with Google to sell federal publications in an eBook format, launched an award-winning government book blog, modernized GPO’s customer contact center, and led the renovation of the agency’s retail bookstore in Washington, D.C.  Her work led to an appointment as Deputy Public Printer in 2011.
DaVita Vance-Cooks joined the Government Printing Office in 2004. She began as the Deputy Managing Director of Customer Services, with the responsibility of overseeing the office’s liaison with federal agencies for in-house print production and printing procurement services. Under Vance-Cooks, the GPO awarded approximately $500 million dollars annually in printing contracts to the private industry and oversaw the award of a $50 million contract for the production of 2010 census materials, which was one of the largest procurements in the government agency’s history.
For the first time since 2008, GPO completed its fiscal year 2012 with a positive net income and reduced overhead costs. Under Vance-Cooks, the GPO pioneered new mobile apps, expanded the scope of information made available through the federal digital system and opened a secure credential site.
article by Erica L. Taylor via blackamericaweb.com

18 Year-Old Gabrielle Turnquest Becomes Youngest Ever to Pass Britain's Bar Exams

By goodblacknews on July 31, 2013
Teenager becomes youngest person to be called to the Bar
Gabrielle Turnquest

According to The Telegraph, American student Gabrielle Turnquest was called to the Bar of England and Wales after passing her exams at just 18, qualifying her as a barrister in those countries.  Turnquest is a native of Windermere, Florida who made news when she graduated from Liberty University of Virginia at 16, which made her that college’s youngest-ever graduate with a degree in psychology.   She most recently took courses at Britain’s University of Law along with her sister Kandi, who also passed her bar exams (she is 22).  The average lawyer in Britain undertakes the Bar Professional Training Course when they are 27.

The teenager hopes eventually to be a fashion law specialist and will also take the American Bar exam so she can practice law in the U.S.  But as her parents are originally from the Bahamas and the British exams cover that country as well, she may practice there for a time.  She said: “I am honored to be the youngest person to pass the Bar exams but, really, I was not aware at the time what the average age was.  I didn’t fully realize the impact of it.”
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Cheryl Boone Isaacs Elected President of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

By goodblacknews on July 30, 2013

New AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs
New AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs

According to Variety.com, Cheryl Boone Isaacs has become the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences first African-American president.  After a lengthy career behind the scenes, the Academy Board of Governors chose Isaacs, who served as first vice president of the Academy board.  Isaacs, who has held every other Academy board officer position and also produced last year’s Governor’s Awards, also becomes the first female Academy president since Fay Kanin in 1979-83 and third overall, counting the two-month tenure of Bette Davis in 1941.
Rob Friedman, the co-chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group and most recently treasurer of the board, was perceived as the other top candidate for the post.  Voting totals are not released by the Academy.  Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one office, including president.
The president role was once a ceremonial title.  But in recent years the role has taken on greater responsibility, as each worked with the Academy’s salaried staff, including CEO Dawn Hudson and Ric Robertson to further diversity initiatives, while also trying to move the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, scheduled to open in 2017, closer to reality. They also dealt with questions of electronic voting, changes in Oscar rules (such as more than five best-picture contenders) and a restructuring of the staff.
article by Jon Weisman with additional reporting by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Compton, CA Elects Aja Brown, Youngest Mayor in City’s History

By goodblacknews on July 15, 2013

Aja Brown
City of Compton Mayor Aja Brown

Compton, Calif. has elected Aja Brown as its newest mayor. The 31-year-old urban planner beat former mayor Omar Bradley in a runoff mayoral election. She’s the youngest mayor in Compton’s history and is determined to make progress in the city.  “I believe the people of Compton are ready for change,” she said after being elected in June. “They’ve spoken. Their voice has clearly been heard that they don’t want to go backward. They want to go forward.”
The University of Southern California alumna is not taking her new position lightly. Her top priorities include reducing crime, balancing the budget and improving Compton’s image. In a recent interview she addressed her priorities as follows:
“I think the City of Compton has suffered for quite some time from the lack of innovative policies, really collaborative efforts with the federal, state and regional elected officials and government agencies. Compton has been on an island fiscally so I look forward to really collaborating in order to move our visions forward: to go back to basics, to implement strategic plans, capital improvements plans that really lay out the infrastructure improvements in our community. My heart is really in building coalitions. The city of Compton has over 200 churches, 100 non-profits, small business communities and really large corporations and so we have an opportunity to really bridge the gap between those sectors and be able to provide a higher level of service to our residents.”

Paris Barclay Elected President of the Directors Guild

By goodblacknews on June 23, 2013

New DGA President Paris Barclay
New Directors Guild President Paris Barclay

TV director Paris Barclay (Sons of Anarchy, Glee, House) has been elected president of the Directors Guild of America for a two-year term, succeeding Taylor Hackford (Ray, Officer and a Gentleman) . Barclay was selected at the DGA’s convention on Saturday at DGA headquarters in Los Angeles. He’s the first African-American to serve as DGA president.
“I got surprisingly emotional about it when I was giving my acceptance speech,” Barclay told Variety. Hackford announced earlier this year that he would not seek a third term in accordance with the DGA tradition of presidents only serving two terms. The well-liked Barclay has served eight years as  First VP and six years as Third VP.
Barclay also told Variety that other DGA members such as Steven Soderbergh and former president Michael Apted have been urging him in recent years to consider becoming president. “As time went on, I began hearing that from more and more people,” he added.
Apted made the nomination Saturday and Soderberg seconded it.
Barclay asserted that he will maintain the tradition of the DGA president being a working director — in his case as the executive producer of the sixth season of “Sons of Anarchy.” Once that season’s shooting is completed, he plans to continue directing episodes of other series that interest him along with a feature film.

Oprah Winfrey Donates $12 Million to New African-American Museum

By goodblacknews on June 12, 2013
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey after delivering commencement address at Harvard in May 2013.(Photo: Elise Amendola AP)

In recognition, the museum’s 350-seat theater, intended to be a showcase for demonstrating how African-American culture has shaped the country and the world, will be named after her. The museum, the Smithsonian’s 19th, is due to open in late 2015. It will tell the story of African-American history from slavery to the post-Civil War period, the civil rights era, the Harlem Renaissance and into the 21st century.

Oprah has been involved with the museum since planning began a decade ago and joined its advisory council in 2004. She’s also a world-class philanthropist with her own grant-making foundation and the resources to make a difference. She says her gift demonstrates her pride in African-American history and culture.
“I am deeply appreciative of those who paved the path for me and all who follow in their footsteps,” she said in a statement. “By investing in this museum, I want to help ensure that we both honor and preserve our culture and history, so that the stories of who we are will live on for generations to come.”

Four Black Actors Won Tony Awards Last Night – Only The Second Time In History

By goodblacknews on June 10, 2013

It was indeed a good night for black actors at the 2013 Tony Awards event, broadcast Sunday evening on CBS, with Neil Patrick Harris hosting once again, as a total of  five black artists took home trophies. Four wins by black actors happens to be the 2nd time in the Award’s 66-year history that that many black actors have taken home trophies in the same year – 2013 and 1982.
2013’s winners were:
– Cicely Tyson, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (The Trip To Bountiful).
– Billy Porter, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Kinky Boots).
– Patina Miller, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Pippin).
– Courtney B. Vance, for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Lucky Guy).
Last night’s fifth black winner was not an actor, but Ron Simons, one of the producers of – Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike – won the Tony Award for Best Play. This is Ron’s first nomination and win.

Achille Messac Becomes 1st African American Dean at Mississippi State University

By goodblacknews on June 2, 2013

Achille MessacAchille Messac was named dean of the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University. He will be the first African-American dean in the university’s history.
Dr. Messac has been serving as distinguished professor and chair of the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Syracuse University in New York. Previously, he taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and Northeastern University in Boston.
Dr. Messac is a native of Haiti. He holds bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
article via jbhe.com