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Friday, May 29, 2020

Colin Kaepernick to pay legal fees of Minneapolis protesters

Colin Kaepernick isn’t just offering his moral support to the Minneapolis protesters angry about the death of George Floyd, he’s offering to pay their legal fees.

READ MORE: Nessa Diab calls out the NFL for ‘lying’ that Colin Kaepernick ‘retired’ on new website: ‘Tell them to stop denying him employment’

The former 49ers quarterback announced Friday that he has started a legal defense fund that would help protesters who are arrested hire lawyers. Know Your Rights Camp, Kaepernick’s organization, will be paying for the fund.

Colin Kaepernick thegrio.com
Colin Kaepernick (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

“In fighting for liberation there‘s always retaliation. We must protect our Freedom Fighters. We started a legal defense initiative to give legal representation to Freedom Fighters in Minneapolis paid for by @yourrightscamp,” he tweeted.

“For representation or to donate” the post continued, sharing a link.

Once directed to the site, the legal initiative outlines how they plan to help those who need representation.

“When there is an injustice within our community, it is our legal right to address it, by any means necessary. If you, or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, or has been arrested while fighting injustice in the Minneapolis area, please complete the form below with as much detail as possible,” the statement reads.

“Once you have completed the form and it has been submitted, one of our team members will be in touch as soon as possible.”

The message ends with a quote by civil rights leader Malcolm X.  He declared that, “concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.”

Protests have raged in Minneapolis following Floyd’s killing on Monday by former officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin was arrested Friday after days of protest in Minneapolis after the unarmed, 46-year-old was killed Monday. According to the arresting record, Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8:46 and kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 2:43 after he lost consciousness and pled for help.

Demonstrations in Minneapolis grew increasingly tense Tuesday night and the evenings after. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters as buildings were destroyed and even set ablaze.

Kaepernick, who settled a collusion case against the NFL after his anthem protests seemingly blackballed him from the league, broke his silence about Floyd’s death on Thursday.

“When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction,” Kaepernick wrote. “The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd.”

READ MORE: Colin Kaepernick says protestors ‘have the right to fight back’ after death of George Floyd

The former NFL star’s words come just a few days after an image of Kaepernick and Floyd  shared by Lebron James went viral. In the photo, Floyd’s final moments as he is pinned underneath the kneeling officer are juxtaposed to a photo of Kaepernick kneeling at an NFL game.

The image is captioned with: “This… …Is Why.”

 

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George Floyd autopsy says death was caused by restraint and health issues

A preliminary autopsy of George Floyd‘s death claims the 46-year-old did not die of strangulation or asphyxiation, but rather from a combination of being restrained by police and underlying health issues.

The early findings of the autopsy were included in charging documents against former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged with third-degree murder and felony manslaughter on Friday.

READ MORE: Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin charged for murder of George Floyd

Derek Chauvin theGrio.com
Derek Chauvin (screenshot from video)

Chauvin, who was fired from the department just days after the Memorial Day tragedy, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

“Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease,” said the complaint from the Hennepin County Attorney. “The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.”

The complaint also points out that Chauvin pinned his knee against Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. For the last 2 minutes and 53 seconds of the restraint, Floyd was unresponsive.

The charging document notes, “police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous.”

Though the preliminary autopsy failed to conclude that Floyd died of strangulation or asphyxiation, attorney Benjamin Crump announced on Friday during a press conference organized by Roc Nation that the family is taking custody of Floyd’s body to have Dr. Michael Baden perform an independent autopsy.

READ MORE: Roc Nation hosts press conference on murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery

“We saw in the Eric Garner case and so many other cases, where they have these people who work with the city come up with things that are such an illusion about ‘you didn’t know he had a heart condition’ or ‘he had asthma,'” said Crump.

“All this stuff that is completely irrelevant because they were breathing, walking just fine until the police accosted them and assaulted and battered them.”

The post George Floyd autopsy says death was caused by restraint and health issues appeared first on TheGrio.



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Trump’s Fight With Twitter Finally Grew Teeth. Now What?

This week, Gilad Edelman joins us to discuss the White House’s move against tech platforms, and how talk of the November election led us to this moment.

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Everyone's Ordering Delivery, but Apps Aren't Making Money

With dining rooms closed, more people are using Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash. But the services face a challenge to satisfy both consumers and restaurants.

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Covid-19 Testing Is Expensive. It Doesn't Have to Be

The diagnostics industry favors wealthy countries, but the rest of the world needs tests, too. Stanford bioengineer Manu Prakash thinks "frugal science can help.

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Propella 7-Speed Review: A Great Ebike and a Killer Deal

Looking to get around safely? This sleek new electric bike costs as much as a year's worth of bus tickets.

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Cleaning a coronavirus ward: 'They need my support'

Damoah Asare works as a cleaner on a Covid-19 ward at a hospital in London.

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Meet The Black Woman Who Created Live 24-Hour Movie Streaming Platform

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Streaming has become the main way people consume entertainment. Platforms ranging from Netflix to Hulu have been dominating movie and television platforms with 24/7 content. For one entrepreneur, creating a streaming platform became a way to share black stories across the globe through a new 24-hour movie channel dedicated to the culture.

DeShuna Spencer is the founder and CEO of KweliTV, one of the only digital streaming platforms dedicated to celebrating black culture and the African diaspora around the world. The name of the network comes from the Swahilli word for truth. Spencer was inspired to create the unique platform after becoming frustrated with the lack of diversity in movies and television. Her mission was to create a platform that could tell the global black experiences through numerous stories across the world.

Spencer recently expanded her network to include a new 24-Hour movie channel where viewers can enjoy indie films, documentaries, and web series from black creatives all around the world. Many of the films have been played at notable film festivals and garnered critical acclaim within the film community. Spencer is committed to ensuring that creators get their fair share of the profits offering them 60% of the revenue each quarter.

In an interview with Black Business News, Spencer says that “this year, KweliTV is laser-focused on spreading our content across various distribution channels to make it much easier to reach our audience in a number of ways. Given the fact that COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting our community’s health and pocketbooks, our live, free channel allows us to connect with customers who may be experiencing financial challenges.”



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HP Is Helping HBCU College Students Obtain Internships Amid COVID-19

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The COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic, has severely impacted the lives of the Class of 2020. From graduation ceremonies and proms being canceled to universities and primary schools working on strategies to continue remote learning while they learn to adapt, students are among some who have been hit the most by the public health crisis.

Outside of traditional ceremonies, it has also affected the job market for new graduates leaving college. According to a new report by Glassdoor, internship openings have been cut by 52% since March with over 4 million jobs being lost as a direct result of the pandemic. To help students and graduates with the transition, HP has announced that it will be launching a new virtual development experience aimed toward HBCU students.

Starting this summer, HP will launch its Summer Scholars series, a free developmental series to help students gain technical and professional skills to help them in businesses ranging from learning how to perform software data analysis, understanding how trends influence the global market, and discovering job opportunities at HP. The company is currently working with a group of deans from various HBCUs around the country to encourage students to apply. The program runs from June 15 – July 24.

In addition to the program, the tech giant has donated over $1 million in direct relief efforts for communities impacted by COVID-19 in addition to using its 3D printing technology to produce equipment for healthcare professionals.

“As a global company, we understand the importance of acting globally while executing at the local level,” said Christoph Schell, chief commercial officer for HP to Channel Futures. “Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we are taking a customized approach specific to the unique and evolving dynamics at the market and country level, depending on a variety of factors.”

For students interested in applying to the program, they can visit the website or email hpsummerscholars@hp.com.



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Minneapolis police station set afire during George Floyd protests

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Cheering protesters broke into a Minneapolis police precinct station on Thursday after the department abandoned it, setting it ablaze and igniting fireworks as three days of violent protests spread to cities across the U.S over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed Black man.

A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.

READ MORE: Teen who filmed George Floyd’s death says she is traumatized

Protesters could be seen setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department jacket and cheering.

Protests first erupted Tuesday, a day after Floyd’s death in a confrontation with police captured on widely seen citizen video. On the video, Floyd can be seen pleading that he can’t breathe as Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneels on his neck. As minutes pass, Floyd slowly stops talking and moving. The 3rd Precinct covers the portion of south Minneapolis where Floyd died.

George Floyd and Minneapolis Police officer assaulting him (Family photo from Ben Crump and Screenshot from incident)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz earlier Thursday activated the National Guard at the Minneapolis mayor’s request, but it wasn’t immediately clear when and where the Guard was being deployed, and none could be seen during protests in Minneapolis or St. Paul. The Guard tweeted minutes after the precinct burned that it had activated more than 500 soldiers across the metro area.

Earlier Thursday, dozens of businesses across the Twin Cities boarded up their windows and doors in an effort to prevent looting, with Minneapolis-based Target announcing it was temporarily closing two dozen area stores. Minneapolis shut down nearly its entire light-rail system and all bus service through Sunday out of safety concerns.

In St. Paul, clouds of smoke hung in the air as police armed with batons and wearing gas masks and body armor kept a watchful eye on protesters along one of the city’s main commercial corridors, where firefighters also sprayed water onto a series of small fires. At one point, officers stood in line in front of a Target, trying to keep out looters, who were also smashing windows of other businesses.

Minneapolis Police theGrio.com
Minneapolis Police create a blockade. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Hundreds of demonstrators returned Thursday to the Minneapolis neighborhood at the center of the violence, where the nighttime scene veered between an angry protest and a street party. At one point, a band playing in a parking lot across from the 3rd Precinct broke into a punk version of Bob Marley‘s “Redemption Song.” Nearby, demonstrators carried clothing mannequins from a looted Target and threw them onto a burning car. Later, a building fire erupted nearby.

But elsewhere in Minneapolis, thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched through the streets calling for justice.

READ MORE: George Floyd’s family wants Minneapolis officers charged with murder

Floyd’s death has deeply shaken Minneapolis and sparked protests in cities across the U.S. Local leaders have repeatedly urged demonstrators to avoid violence.

“Please stay home. Please do not come here to protest. Please keep the focus on George Floyd, on advancing our movement and on preventing this from ever happening again,” tweeted St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who is Black.

Erika Atson, 20, was among thousands of people who gathered outside government offices in downtown Minneapolis, where organizers had called a peaceful protest. Many protesters wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there were few attempts at social distancing.

Atson, who is Black, described seeing her 14- and 11-year-old brothers tackled by Minneapolis police years ago because officers mistakenly presumed the boys had guns. She said she had been at “every single protest” since Floyd’s death and worried about raising children who could be vulnerable in police encounters.

“We don’t want to be here fighting against anyone. We don’t want anyone to be hurt. We don’t want to cause any damages,” she said. “We just want the police officer to be held accountable.”

Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson said the rally had been peaceful and there had been no arrests by late evening.

After calling in the Guard, Walz urged widespread changes in the wake of Floyd’s death.

“It is time to rebuild. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they’re charged to protect,” Walz said.

Much of the Minneapolis violence occurred in the Longfellow neighborhood, where protesters converged on the precinct station of the police who arrested Floyd. In a strip mall across the street from the 3rd Precinct station, the windows in nearly every business had been smashed, from the large Target department store at one end to the Planet Fitness gym at the other. Only the 24-hour laundromat appeared to have escaped unscathed.

“WHY US?” demanded a large expanse of red graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Target. A Wendy’s restaurant across the street was charred almost beyond recognition.

Among the casualties of the overnight fires: a six-story building under construction that was to provide nearly 200 apartments of affordable housing.

“We’re burning our own neighborhood,” said a distraught Deona Brown, a 24-year-old woman standing with a friend outside the precinct station, where a small group of protesters were shouting at a dozen or so stone-faced police officers in riot gear. “This is where we live, where we shop, and they destroyed it.” No officers could be seen beyond the station.

“What that cop did was wrong, but I’m scared now,” Brown said.

Others in the crowd saw something different in the wreckage.

Protesters destroyed property “because the system is broken,” said a young man who identified himself only by his nickname, Cash, and who said he had been in the streets during the violence. He dismissed the idea that the destruction would hurt residents of the largely black neighborhood.

“They’re making money off of us,” he said angrily of the owners of the destroyed stores. He laughed when asked if he had joined in the looting or violence. “I didn’t break anything.”

The protests that began Wednesday night and extended into Thursday were more violent than Tuesday’s, which included skirmishes between offices and protesters but no widespread property damage.

Mayor Jacob Frey appealed for calm but the city’s response to the protests was quickly questioned as things started spiraling into violence. “If the strategy was to keep residents safe — it failed,” City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who is Black, tweeted. “Prevent property damage — it failed.” On Thursday, he urged police to leave the scene of the overnight violence, saying their presence brings people into the streets.

But Eric Kowalczyk, a police captain in Baltimore during the Freddie Gray riots in 2015, generally supported the Minneapolis police strategy to avoid confrontations with protesters when possible, saying heavy-handed police responses are only met with more violence.

“Nobody wants to see their city on fire, but at the same time, you don’t want to see citizens injured by the very police department they are protesting,” he said.

Protests have also spread to other U.S. cities. In New York City, protesters defied New York’s coronavirus prohibition on public gatherings Thursday, clashing with police, while demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Denver. A day earlier, demonstrators had taken to the streets in Los Angeles and Memphis.

Amid the violence in Minneapolis, a man was found fatally shot Wednesday night near a pawn shop, possibly by the owner, authorities said.

Fire crews responded to about 30 intentionally set blazes, and multiple fire trucks were damaged by rocks and other projectiles, the fire department said. No one was hurt by the blazes.

The city on Thursday released a transcript of the 911 call that brought police to the grocery store where Floyd was arrested. The caller described someone paying with a counterfeit bill, with workers rushing outside to find the man sitting on a van. The caller described the man as “awfully drunk and he’s not in control of himself.” Asked by the 911 operator whether the man was “under the influence of something,” the caller said: “Something like that, yes. He is not acting right.” Police said Floyd matched the caller’s description of the suspect.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI in Minneapolis said Thursday they were conducting “a robust criminal investigation” into the death. President Donald Trump has said he had asked an investigation to be expedited.

The FBI is also investigating whether Floyd’s civil rights were violated.

Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was fired Tuesday with three other officers involved in the arrest. The next day, the mayor called for Chauvin to be criminally charged. He also appealed for the activation of the National Guard.

___

Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski, Jeff Baenen and Doug Glass in Minneapolis, and Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Minneapolis police station set afire during George Floyd protests appeared first on TheGrio.



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Trump calls George Floyd protesters ‘thugs,’ threatens to send military

President Donald Trump threatened to send the national guard to the city of Minneapolis early Friday following the third night of protests over the police-involved death of George Floyd.

What’s more, the nation’s commander-in-chief called protesters “THUGS” who are “dishonoring the memory of George Floyd.”

“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership,” Trump tweeted in the wee hours of the morning.

“Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right…..”

READ MORE: Trump on George Floyd’s death: ‘I feel very, very badly’

He added: “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”

Trump’s use of the term “thugs” quickly drew outrage on Twitter, as many called out its inherent racism.

“Trump to the white people with AR-15s throwing a temper tantrum over a haircut — “Liberate” Trump to those protesting the lack of justice in Minneapolis — “THUGS” A whole, racist clown,” tweeted journalist Jemele Hill.

Bishop Talbert Sawn tweeted, “You didn’t call the cops who MURDERED #GeorgeFloyd THUGS.” You never called the white supremacist mass shooters you inspired to murder innocent Americans “THUGS.” You reserve “THUGS” for Black people, you vile, degenerate, white supremacist, son of a klansman.”

One tweet drew a stark comparison to how Trump described the mostly Black crowd of protesters in Minneapolis to the mostly white protesters in Michigan who stormed the state capitol last month over the closing of businesses to guard against the novel coronavirus.

Trump’s tweets came just hours after protesters stormed the streets in outrage over the death of Floyd, who died on Memorial Day after former Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the 46-year-old’s neck while handcuffed as he repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.

In the days that followed, demonstrations in Minneapolis grew increasingly tense. On Thursday night, the 3rd Precinct police station was set ablaze. According to the Associated Press, a police spokesman confirmed that staff had evacuated the station “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10 p.m.

READ MORE: There are no ‘riots’ in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd

President Trump had initially remained reluctant to comment too much on Floyd’s death, which was caught on video and widely condemned by elected officials and public figures on both sides of the political aisle.

Earlier on Thursday while in the Oval Office, Trump said he felt “very, very badly” about Floyd’s death, and on Wednesday, he claimed that he asked U.S. Attorney General William Barr and the FBI to “expedite” federal probes of the police incident.

Chauvin and three other officers present during Floyd’s detainment have all been terminated from the Minneapolis Police Department.

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Black Church Action Fund, Vote.org launch digital vote-by-mail campaign for Black faith voters

The Black Church Action Fund and Vote.org have partnered on a new initiative aimed at Black faith voters.

The political action committee and the voter registration organization announced on Friday morning that they will work together to deliver digital voter registration and vote-by-mail tools to Black voters for the 2020 election.

READ MORE: 2020 election should be entirely vote-by-mail, most Americans say

“This moment demands that our communities get organized and protect our votes earlier than ever before. From voting by mail, to checking voter registration status, or getting the latest updates on election changes due to COVID-19, we are thrilled to offer all of our Vote.org services to the Black faith community,” said Andrea Hailey, CEO of Vote.org, said in a press release. “The Black Church Action Fund reach and grassroots political power, combined with our trusted voter engagement tools, will result in unprecedented efforts to reach Black voters of faith throughout the nation in this critical election year.”

Rev. Leah Daughtery and Pastor Michael McBride, co-founders of the Black Church Action Fund, stressed the importance of the initiative in a joint statement of their own on Friday.

(Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)

“Black Church Action Fund is excited to be in partnership with Vote.org as we register, educate and mobilize millions of Black church voters in 2020,” the co-founders said. “The power of the Black church, and in particular Black women voting as a bloc of voters in 2020, is one of the greatest examples of sister power rising up to ensure the survival of our democracy. This partnership will help us reach our collective aspiration.”

The digital vote-by-mail campaign comes as Republican lawmakers and elected officials, including President Donald Trump, work to disenfranchise voters and gerrymander voting districts.

The president took to Twitter on Tuesday to slam voting by mail, falsely claiming that the practice would encourage voters to commit fraud.

READ MORE: GOP spending $20M on alleged voter suppression for the 2020 election

“There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed,” he tweeted.

Trump’s claims were debunked by experts and flagged by Twitter with fact-check warnings.

For more information on the digital vote-by-mail initiative please visit vote.org.

The post Black Church Action Fund, Vote.org launch digital vote-by-mail campaign for Black faith voters appeared first on TheGrio.



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There Can Be No Compromise In the Trump vs. Twitter Beef

Having failed to curb the president's falsehoods, social platforms have reached a dispiriting impasse.

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Women Have Always Worked From Home

Quarantine has meant something different for men than it has for women—just look at who’s doing what.

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Some Nursing Homes Escaped Covid-19—Here's What They Did Right

As states start to reopen, senior care facilities must balance the needs of residents against the potential for more deadly Covid-19 outbreaks.

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6 Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks (2020): Homelabs, Philips, Casper

No bedroom window? No problem. These sun simulators might just make it easier to wake up and catch z's.

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Walmart Employees Are Out to Show Its Anti-Shoplifting AI Doesn't Work

The retailer denies there is any widespread issue with the software, but a group expressed frustration—and public health concerns.

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'The Vast of Night' Reboots the Glee of UFO Conspiracy Culture

Amazon Studios’ new lo-fi, sci-fi flick, which is fittingly screening at select drive-ins, is a respite.

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Ethiopia accused by Amnesty of illegal killings and mass arrests

The incidents happened in 2019 when the prime minister won the Nobel Peace Prize, Amnesty says.

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Thursday, May 28, 2020

MIT Corporation elects 12 term members, three life members

The MIT Corporation — the Institute’s board of trustees — elected nine full-term members, who will each serve for five years, three partial-term members, and three life members, during its quarterly meeting yesterday. Corporation Chair Robert B. Millard ’73 announced the election results; all positions are effective July 1.

The nine full-term members are: Wesley G. Bush ’83; R. Erich Caulfield SM ’01, PhD ’06; Heather Cogdell ’89; Orit Gadiesh; Jeffrey S. Halis ’76, SM ’76; Michelle K. Lee ’89, SM ’89; Adrianna C. Ma ’96, MEng ’96; Indra K. Nooyi; Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi ’20. The three partial-term members are: Drew Gilpin Faust; Janet C. Wolfenbarger SM ’95; and Mark S. Wrighton. The three life members are: Victor J. Menezes SM ’72; Phillip T. Ragon ’72; and Jeffrey L. Silverman ’68.

The Corporation also announced Charlene C. Kabcenell ’79 as the 2020-2021 president of the Association of Alumni and Alumnae of MIT, effective July 1. She succeeds Caulfield, who will return to the Corporation for a five-year term.

As of July 1, the Corporation will consist of 75 distinguished leaders in education, science, engineering, and industry. Of those, 24 are life members and seven are ex officio. An additional 37 individuals are life members emeritus.

The nine full-term members are:

Wesley G. Bush, former chairperson and chief executive officer, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Bush received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT in 1983. He has worked in the aerospace and defense industry since starting at COMSAT Labs under MIT’s co-op program. After graduation, Bush first worked at The Aerospace Corporation, then became a systems engineer at TRW’s Space Park facility in 1987. Prior to Northrop Grumman’s acquisition of TRW in 2002, Bush led numerous space program activities, served as vice president of TRW Ventures, and was the president and chief executive officer of TRW’s U.K.-based Aeronautical Systems business. At Northrop Grumman, he served as the president of the company’s space technology sector, then as its chief financial officer. He became president of the company in 2006. He served as chief executive officer from 2010 through 2018 and became chairman in 2011. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

R. Erich Caulfield, founder and president, The Caulfield Consulting Group

Caulfield received a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Morehouse College. He obtained his master’s degree and PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT in 2001 and 2006, respectively. After beginning his professional career as at McKinsey and Company, Caulfield was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as a White House Fellow in 2010, working at the White House Domestic Policy Council. He was part of the senior leadership team that developed and launched the White House Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative, which was a new partnership between the federal government and pilot cities across the country. In 2011, Caulfield assumed the role of New Orleans Community Solutions Team Lead for the SC2 Initiative. In 2013, he founded The Caulfield Consulting Group, a New Orleans-based management consulting firm. In 2018, he went on to serve as the chief policy advisor to Cory Booker, then Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and to the city’s business administrator.

Heather Cogdell, principal business process engineer, MITRE Corporation

Cogdell received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1989. She received her MBA in decision sciences from the Wharton School of Business and master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Cogdell is a principal business process engineer at the MITRE Corporation. She joined MITRE in 2008 and has supported the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Internal Revenue Service, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Working across that sponsor landscape, she provided expertise in problem identification, source analysis, and solution development and implementation. She is currently working at the Census Bureau to develop the future data repository vision. Her past projects include performing independent verification and validation of new Medicare Card Project systems for the CMS Office of Information technology.

Orit Gadiesh, chairperson, Bain and Company Inc.

Born in Haifa, Israel, Gadiesh completed her compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces and studied at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating in 1975 with her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1977 and was also awarded the Brown prize for the most outstanding marketing student. Gadiesh joined Bain and Company in 1977 after graduating from Harvard Business School and has been the chairperson since 1993. A world-renowned expert on management and corporate strategy, she has advised a multiplicity of CEOs and senior executives of major international companies on strategy development and the implementation of change. She has counseled top level management on structuring and managing portfolios, developing and implementing global strategy, executing turnarounds, improving organizational effectiveness, and designing both cost reduction and growth programs.

Jeffrey S. Halis, president, Tyndall Management, LLC

Halis received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Sloan School of Management in June 1976. He is president and chief executive officer of Tyndall Management, an investment firm specializing in publicly traded securities that he founded in 1991. Prior to establishing Tyndall, he held positions in the finance and investment industry working for Citibank, Merrill Lynch, and Sabre Associates. A New York native, Halis currently resides with his wife, Nancy L. Halis, in Manhattan. They have two daughters, Laura and Jenny, who reside in Boston and Manhattan.

Michelle K. Lee, vice president, Machine Learning Solutions Lab, Amazon Web Services

Lee studied electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1989. She received her JD from Stanford Law School in 1992.  Lee is vice president of the Machine Learning Solutions Lab at Amazon Web Services. Prior to joining Amazon, Lee was the Herman Phleger Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford Law School from 2017 to 2018. Lee also served as the under secretary of commerce and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from 2015 to 2017 and was the first woman to serve in this role in the country’s history. Additionally, Lee was the deputy general counsel at Google Inc. and a partner with Fenwick and West LLP.

Adrianna C. Ma, managing partner, Haleakala Holdings LLC

Ma received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT in 1996. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School in 2000. Ma is the managing partner of Haleakala Holdings LLC, her personal investment and advisory firm. Previously, she was a managing partner of Fremont Group, a single-family investment firm, where from 2015 to 2019 she oversaw a portfolio that consisted of actively managed funds as well as directly owned public and private securities. Prior to joining Fremont Group, Ma was a managing director of General Atlantic, where from 2005 to 2015 she invested in and served on the boards of directors of technology-enabled growth companies globally. Before joining General Atlantic, she was an investment banker from 2000 to 2005 in Morgan Stanley's mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring department. Previously, she was a project manager at the network server division of Hewlett-Packard Company, from 1996 to 1998.

Indra K. Nooyi, chairperson and CEO (retired), PepsiCo

Nooyi received a bachelor’s degree from Madras Christian College in 1974, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta in 1976, and a master’s degree in public and private management from Yale University in 1980. Nooyi served as the chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2019. In this role, Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around us. She directed the company’s global strategy for more than a decade. Prior to becoming CEO, Nooyi served as president and chief financial officer beginning in 2001, when she was also named to PepsiCo’s board of directors. Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Nooyi spent four years as senior vice president of strategy, planning and strategic marketing for Asea Brown Boveri, a Zurich-based industrials company.

Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi, student, MIT

Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi is a senior at MIT studying computer science, economics, and data science. Next year, she will complete a master’s degree in global affairs at Beijing’s Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar. Afterward, Olateru-Olagbegi plans to focus on using digital health tools to improve health care quality and access globally. She has worked at a range of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Google, Bain and Company, and most recently, 1upHealth, a digital health startup. Adedoyin has enjoyed traveling while at MIT, studying race and migration in Brazil, co-designing technologies with coffee farmers in Colombia, and taking a class on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

The three partial-term members are:

Drew Gilpin Faust, president emerita and Arthur Kingsley Porter University Professor, Harvard University

Faust received her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1968 and her master’s degree and PhD in American civilization from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971 and 1975. As president of Harvard from 2007 to 2018, she expanded financial aid to improve access to for students of all economic backgrounds and advocated for increased federal funding for scientific research. She broadened the University’s international reach, led a successful capital campaign, updated university governance, and raised the profile of the arts on campus, among other achievements, while also guiding the university through a period of significant financial challenges. Faust previously served as founding dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, from 2001 to 2007. Before coming to Radcliffe, she was the Annenberg Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of six books and is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Faust will serve a two-year term with the Corporation.

Janet C. Wolfenbarger, general (retired), U.S. Air Force

Wolfenbarger earned a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1980, a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT in 1985, a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1994, and an honorary doctoral degree from Wright State University in 2013. She retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2015, culminating a distinguished 35-year career as the Service’s first female four-star general.  She commanded Air Force Materiel Command, which employs 80,000 people and manages a $60 billion annual budget. The command is responsible for executing the critical mission of warfighter support through leading-edge science and technology, cradle-to-grave life cycle weapons system management, world-class developmental test and evaluation, and world-class depot maintenance and supply chain management. Since retirement she has served as a board director for two entities and volunteers in a number of other capacities. Wolfenbarger will serve a three-year term with the Corporation.

Mark S. Wrighton, chancellor emeritus and professor of chemistry, Washington University

Wrighton received his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University in 1969 and his PhD in chemistry from Caltech in 1972. He joined the faculty of MIT’s Department of Chemistry that year, and from 1981 until 1989 held the Frederick G. Keyes Professorship in Chemistry, followed by the Ciba-Geigy Professorship in Chemistry. He was head of the department from 1987 to 1990 and served as MIT’s provost from 1990 to 1995. He then moved to Washington University in St. Louis, where he served as chancellor and CEO until 2019. He now continues full time at Washington University as a professor and chancellor emeritus. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, he has participated in numerous governmental panels and has been a consultant to industry. Wrighton will serve a one-year term with the Corporation.

The three life members are:

Victor J. Menezes, senior vice chairperson (retired), Citigroup Inc.

Menezes received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 1970 and a master’s degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1972. He was senior vice chair of Citigroup Inc. and retired in 2005 after a 32-year global career in the company. He served previously as chair and CEO of Citibank and was head of Citigroup’s emerging markets business, with responsibility for the corporate and consumer businesses and global product responsibility for e-business and global securities services. In 1995 he was named chief financial officer of Citicorp and Citibank. Previously, he headed Citibank’s businesses and lived in India, Hong Kong, and Europe. He also chaired Citi’s India Advisory Board from 2011 to 2013.

Phillip T. Ragon, CEO, founder, and owner, InterSystems Corporation

After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from MIT in 1972, Ragon went on to found InterSystems in 1978, leading the company to worldwide prominence in the database, interoperability, and health care application markets. He is a trustee of the Mass General Brigham health system, as well as a trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he also served as honorary co-chair of the MGH Campaign. He is on the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows. In 2008, he helped create the Ragon Institute, a joint research center of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. The vision of the Ragon Institute is to “harness the immune system,” and its immediate objective is the creation of a vaccine for HIV. Ragon is also a signatory to The Giving Pledge.

Jeffrey L. Silverman, chairperson, Agman Partners

Silverman, who earned a bachelor’s degree from MIT in 1968, is the founder and chair of Agman Partners, a multistrategy private investment firm that invests both directly and through partnerships across asset classes and stages of development. During his career, he incorporated an evolving game theory approach to applied economics as an independent commodity futures trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he also served as a director. He has supported the MIT Evergreen Energy Fund, which resulted in a substantial savings in energy for MIT while leading the way for other institutions. He also provided initial funding for MIT's “Just Jerusalem” competition envisioning peace in the Middle East. Currently, he supports the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research through a communications outreach project as part of their ongoing fundraising.

President of the Association of Alumni and Alumnae of MIT:

Charlene C. Kabcenell, vice president (retired), Oracle Corporation

Kabcenell received her bachelor’s degree from MIT in 1979 and began her career as a software developer at Xerox Corporation, where she was involved in the development of the Star workstation, the first commercial system that incorporated technologies familiar to Macinotsh and Microsoft Windows users today. She joined Oracle Corporation in 1987 as a group product manager. During her tenure, she managed projects involving product software, software development tools, and internationalization. She retired as a vice president of software development in 1997. Kabcenell now devotes her time to a range of charitable and volunteer activities, including managing her family foundation. She joined the MIT Corporation in 2011 and has been a life member since 2013.



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