Jan. 15, 2019: Polis ’96 Sworn In as Colorado Governor; Mester *85 on Interest Rates

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Jared Polis ’96 served five terms in Congress before winning Colorado’s gubernatorial election.

U.S. House of Representatives

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Schutz Polis ’96, sworn in last week, is the first openly gay man elected governor in the United States; as The New York Times writes, “it’s either a historic moment or progress-with-a-shrug — or both.” — The New York Times

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester *85 says that the Fed could reconsider projected interest-rate hikes if inflation does not rise. — CNBC

Montgomery County Democrat Sara Love ’89 was sworn in for her first term in the Maryland House of Delegates, joining the largest group of female delegates in the state’s history. — The Washington Post

Columnist Jennifer Rubin spotlighted Rep. John Sarbanes ’84, a Maryland Democrat, as the “distinguished pol of the week” for sponsoring the ethics, voting-rights, and campaign-finance bill known as the “For the People Act.” — The Washington Post

Princeton professor and Fields Medal winner Manjul Bhargava *01 says the best way to get students interested in math is to teach it in a way that is “recreational, fun, playful, creative, and adventurous.” — Bloomberg Quint 

Joseph Lubin ’87, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, has endured dramatic shifts in the cryptocurrency’s value over the last two years. — Forbes India

“It’s not that nobody outperforms [the market], but it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. And I say, even more than ever, buy the haystack instead.” 

— Passive-investing pioneer Burton Malkiel *64, who famously wrote in his 1973 book A Random Walk Down Wall Street that “a blindfolded monkey throwing darts at a newspaper’s financial pages” could match the returns of market experts. Watch Malkiel’s recent interview on Bloomberg TV.

Gerald “J.P.” Gallagher ’93, CEO of NorthShore University Health System in Illinois, speaks about his adventurous hobbies in a recent interview. — Crain’s Chicago Business 

The Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington, D.C., has cast Matthew Rauch ’91 in the title role of its upcoming production of Richard the Third. — Broadway World

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper says assistant coach Jeff Halpern ’98 has an eye for detail that has been invaluable to the team. — Tampa Bay Times

When Lili Anolik ’00 first discovered the writings of Eve Babitz, her interest “morphed almost immediately into obsession.” Nearly a decade later, Babitz is the subject of Anolik’s new book, Hollywood’s Eve. — Vanity Fair  

Fox News host Pete Hegseth ’03 landed the final interview of 2018 with President Donald Trump, a phone conversation during the network’s New Year’s Eve coverage. — Fox News

Meanwhile, Maria Ressa ’86 of Rappler.com and Edward Felsenthal ’88 of Time magazine were among the journalists honored with a spot on the podium for the New Year’s Eve ceremonies in Times Square. — Time
 
Jacques-André Istel ’49 turned a vacant patch of the Sonoran Desert into the Museum of History in Granite, a hand-etched tribute that spans from the Big Bang to modern times. — BBC Travel
 
Annie Haslam Colquitt ’09 was selected for the Knoxville News Sentinel’s 40 Under 40, which highlighted the young hotelier’s community-service work. — Knoxville News Sentinel
 
Author and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff ’83 says the backlash against driverless cars comes from “a growing sense that the giant corporations honing driverless technologies do not have our best interests at heart.” — The New York Times
 
According to a recent Gallup poll, former first lady Michelle Obama ’85 was the most admired woman in America last year, ending Hillary Clinton’s 17-year stretch at the top of the poll. — CNN.com