Nov. 5, 2019: Williams ’65 *67 and Tsien’s Latest Designs for Obama Presidential Center Released

In advance of its annual summit, the Obama Foundation released a new set of renderings for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, designed by Tod Williams ’65 *67 and Billie Tsien. Read more about the project in Architectural Digest.

Former first lady Michelle Obama ’85 also made headlines at the summit, discussing the scarring effects of white flight in an on-stage conversation with brother Craig Robinson ’83 and interviewer Isabel Wilkerson. Read more in USA Today.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell ’75 signaled a pause in interest-rate cuts after announcing a one-quarter-point drop in the federal-funds rate last week. — The Wall Street Journal

It took more than two decades for Hollywood to support screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard ’74’s Harriet Tubman biopic; the film industry “wasn’t ready to open itself up to other voices,” he says. — Vox

Victoria Velkoff *92, the Census Bureau’s associate director for demographic programs, announced that a recent study of the 2020 Census questionnaire form found “no difference in self-response rates between forms with and forms without a citizenship question.” — NPR

As airplane systems become more complex, “the likelihood increases that compliance with applicable regulations does not necessarily ensure safety,” former NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart ’69 *71 told a Senate committee that is scrutinizing Boeing’s 737 MAX jets. — The Seattle Times

“Yes, the First Amendment protects the ‘thought that we hate,’ but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another. In an age when everyone has a megaphone, that seems like a design flaw.”

— Richard Stengel ’77, a former Time editor and State Department official, in a recent opinion column on America’s need for a hate-speech law. Read more in The Washington Post.

Branson, Colo., water commissioner Brad Doherty ’98 is turning to new technologies to bring the town’s water into compliance with state standards. — Colorado Sun

Jessica Bell Brown *16 was hired as an associate curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art, which is expanding its contemporary art department. — Culture Type

Singer-songwriter Anthony D’Amato ’10 wrote his new album in New Orleans, but he says its themes of “grappling with issues of segregation, gentrification, and inequality” apply to many American communities. — Billboard

Molly Kellogg ’87, CEO of the chemical manufacturer Hubbart-Hall, represents the sixth generation of her family to lead the Waterbury, Conn.-based company. — Midland Daily News

John J. Marchioni ’91, the president and COO of Selective Insurance Group, will become the company’s new CEO in February. — Insurance Journal

Wharton School Professor Katy Milkman ’04 interviewed colleague and psychologist Angela Duckworth about new research that shows how giving advice can help the adviser make better decisions. — Wharton Magazine