Jan. 24, 2017: Jacobs-Jenkins ’06’s New Play, Cordish ’96 Selected for Trump Post, and More

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins ’06 discusses his new play, Gloria, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and opened at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre last week. — The Chicago Tribune

President Donald Trump named Reed Cordish ’96, a principal and partner of the real estate firm the Cordish Companies, as assistant to the president for intragovernmental and technology initiatives. — Presidential Transition Team

Nicholas Rasmussen *90, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will stay on to help guide the Trump administration in combatting the Islamic State. — Yahoo News

Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta *80 became the acting secretary of transportation on Friday and will remain in that position until nominee Elaine Chao is confirmed. — CNN

Harvey Silverglate ’64, the co-founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), argues that President Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, should change the way sexual assault is handled on college campuses. — The Wall Street Journal

Kareem James Abu-Zeid ’03 was named a finalist for translation in the PEN America Literary Awards, and Monica Youn ’93 was named a finalist in the PEN Open Book Award for her novel Blackacre. — PEN America

Alice Gast *84, the president of Imperial College London, notes how scientists who collaborate across borders benefit from different points of view, and discusses how to continue international cooperation in the face of a backlash against globalization. — World Economic Forum

Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter ’69 said at the World Economic Forum that as a response to President Trump’s economic policy, American companies need to show that “they’re for America” and “take care of employees that they already have.” — Bloomberg 

Barack Obama, venture capitalist? Ellen Pao ’91, the former CEO of Reddit, encourages the former president to start a venture-capital fund focused on underrepresented entrepreneurs. — Time

National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru ’95 writes that “people who say that Trump is not their president ... betray an unhealthy view of the relationship between the citizen and the executive branch of the federal government.” — Bloomberg View

Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan ’86 notes that former first lady Michelle Obama ’85 was good for fashion, since many fashion designers saw upticks in sales as a result of Obama’s fashion sense. — CBS News

George Kurian ’90, the CEO of  the data-storage company NetApp, says that “Asia-Pacific is growing faster than any other part of the storage market because digitization of the IT architecture is in the growth phase.” — The Times of India

NBA Entertainment executive vice president Steve Hellmuth ’75 explains how tracking statistics has “contributed to a more beautiful game” of basketball, noting that data show the advantages of a more fluid style of offense. — L’Agence France-Presse

Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett ’89 was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association after his team ended the season with a 13-3 record. — Star-Telegram

Tom Hargrave ’46 describes his experiences fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and working as a charter captain on Lake Ontario for a profile of people in their 90s in the Rochester, N.Y., area. — Democrat and Chronicle

Daniel Gilbert *85, a Harvard University psychology professor who stars as the “happiness expert” in Prudential ads, discusses his life journey to discover why people are so poor at predicting what will make them happy. — CU Denver Today

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