August 16, 2018 

By Kimberlee Buck 

Contributing Writer 

 

In 2013, Arnold Donald came out of retirement to accept a position as Carnival Corporation’s president and CEO after being recommended by then chairman and CEO, Micky Arison. Now, Donald is celebrating five years as the CEO of the world’s largest leisure travel company, making him one of only four African American CEO’s currently leading America’s largest public companies.

 

Initially Donald accepted the title of CEO with slight hesitation. However, during his time there he has made record setting growth by successfully doubling the corporation’s earnings. Not to mention, Carnival’s stock price has nearly doubled in value which has allowed its market cap to increase from $27 billion to $48 billion.

 

His career accomplishments don’t stop there. Donald has also played a major role in the way Carnival Corporation has done business by bridging the gap between nine global cruise brands to work together. This resulted in the company generating new sources of revenue, increased cost savings, and enabled sharing of best practices globally.

 

Prior to accepting the position as Carnival’s CEO, Donald worked at Monsanto Company, as a leading global developer of agricultural products and consumer goods. He held various leadership positions there from 1980 to 2000. From there, Donald worked at Merisant Company where he served as chairman and CEO. After completing his time there in 2005, Donald worked as the president and CEO of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International until 2008, when he joined the Executive Leadership Council.

 

During his career progression, he found time to join the Carnival board of directors in 2001. Joining the board combined with his previous job experience and Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, and his master’s degree in finance and international business, equipped him to hold his current position today.

 

“My junior year in college, I decided I wanted to be a general manager of a fortune 50 science based company and I mapped out a plan to do that,” said Donald. “I decided that if I am going to do that, I had to give myself a leg up. I needed a technical degree, I needed a business degree and preferably both from prestige academic institutions which would then enhance my probability of getting a job at a prestige company which would then increase my chance of achieving my objectives.”

 

Aside from his education, Donald’s family background also played a major role in the way in which he conducts business and his outlook on the world. Donald, the youngest of five children, was born and raised in the ninth ward of New Orleans during a time of segregation.

 

“The time that I grew up in was a civil rights time, and it was a time for dramatic change in the world,” he said. “Everyday society was telling you that ‘you couldn’t do this and that and that you were less than. That you were inferior, you can’t drink out of this water fountain and you can’t use this bathroom.’”

 

Donald goes on to say, he felt liberated and believed he could be a part of change.

 

“Because of my high school, my parents, and my church, I believed that I could do whatever I wanted to do despite what society was telling me,” he said.

 

Donald took that belief that was instilled in him and went on to completely transform Carnival Corporation. Among his many list of achievements, he is most proud of the diversity of thinking model and the first of a kind innovations that have taken place under his leadership.

 

The diversity of thinking model, proactively engineered by Donald, has been seen as a “competitive advantage driving innovation by leveraging different backgrounds to create new solutions that help the brands [under Carnival] continually exceed guest expectations and support the company’s aggressive growth goals.” This model has been instilled at every level of Carnival Corporation allowing people from different backgrounds, cultures, and geographical areas to collaborate and be creative. As a result, innovation has flourished throughout the company.  

 

In 2017, Donald, became the first ever travel industry executive to serve as the keynote speaker at CES where he unveiled the Ocean Medallion, the world’s first interactive guest experience platform. The Ocean Medallion’s primary goals were to enhance the overall cruise experience for both the guests and crew and establish a new standard for the entire travel industry. Additionally, Donald is behind the creation of Ocean Originals TV programs, a series of travel lifestyle shows that air on ABC, NBC, Univision, and Telemundo with five million viewers each week.

 

During the interview, Donald took time to talk to the LA Sentinel about his life lessons and advice he has for young people of color who are interested in pursuing a career in business.

 

“[The first life lesson I learned] is listen,” he said. “If you learn how to listen well the world will reveal itself to you. In our business, if I listen to our guests, they will tell us how to achieve their expectations and if I listen to our employees, they will tell us how to exceed those guest expectations and how to execute that in a way that is sustainable and will work long-term for the corporation.”

 

He goes on to say that the second lesson he learned is to do the right thing, have fun along the way and honor people. He encourages those who are thinking about a career in business to engage their time in things that they are passionate about. 

 

Under Donald’s tenue, Carnival Corporation has made history in Cuba by “opening Cuba for the U.S. cruise industry and positively impacting the broader international travel policies.” Donald has also pushed for global growth efforts in China and expanded cruising and long-term market opportunities in China. Additionally, he has accelerated fleet enhancement efforts to launch newer and more efficient ships across the brand. So what’s next for Carnival Corporation? Donald has plans to continue increasing shareholder value and exceeding guest’s expectations.

Category: Business

August 09, 2018 

Associated Press

 

University of Southern Cali­fornia President C. L. Max Nikias stepped down Tuesday in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal involving a campus gynecologist in which school administrators faced criticism they ignored decades of complaints.

 

Nikias, who had been president since 2010, agreed to relinquish his role “effective immediately” but becomes president emeritus and a life trustee of the school, according to a letter to faculty, students and alumni from Board of Trustees Chair Rick J. Caruso.

 

Trustees hope to find his successor within four to six months, Caruso said.

 

Wanda M. Austin, who is a board member, was appointed interim president.

 

“She is a professional of impeccable integrity and character,” Caruso wrote.

 

Austin holds a USC engineering degree and was president and CEO of her own company, The Aerospace Corp. She is a former member of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology and currently is on the boards of Chevron and Amgen, according to Caruso.

 

Austin is “a strong advocate for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines as well as for minorities and women,” he wrote.

 

Nikias, 65, agreed in May to step down at an unspecified date. He and the school faced accusations that they ignored decades of complaints against Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist who worked at a university clinic for 30 years.

 

Tyndall, who has since retired, is the focus of some two dozen lawsuits and a police investigation into allegations involving at least 50 women.

 

The lawsuits allege Tyndall routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment.

 

Nikias also came under fire after reports in the Los Angeles Times that USC medical school dean Dr. Carmen Puliafito associated with criminals and people who used drugs and had been captured on video apparently smoking methamphetamine.

 

Puliafito gave up his post in 2016 but remained a faculty member until USC fired him last year.

 

In his letter, Caruso promised reforms.

 

“As I have said previously, it is evident that the recent crises have resulted from systemic and cultural failures,” he wrote. “Both the behavior and the environment that allowed it to persist are inexcusable and will no longer be tolerated.”

 

Caruso said a law firm hired in May to investigate the Tyndall allegations had interviewed more than 100 witnesses and collected 4.5 million documents.

 

He also noted that the school has a newly formed Office for Professional Ethics to monitor and investigate complaints.

Category: Business

July 26, 2018 

By Stacy M. Brown 

NNPA Newswire 

 

In a blistering response to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that revealed federal agencies spend very little advertising dollars with minority-owned businesses, D.C. Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said that she would work with minority publishers to press her colleagues in Congress “to demand greater spending on minority-owned outlets…to reach minority audiences that most traditional outlets do not.”

 

Holmes Norton said that she requested the GAO report to learn more about the disparities in federal advertising contracts.

 

“[The GAO report] showed, as we expected, that the federal government has a long way to go to ensure equal opportunities for minority-owned news outlets,” Holmes Norton said. “As the nation’s largest advertiser, the federal government has an obligation to provide advertising opportunities to news outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color.”

 

The 41-page report issued, last week, revealed that over the past five fiscal years, federal government agencies spent $5 billion in advertising, but just $327 million of that went to minority-owned businesses.

 

Black-owned businesses netted just $51 million—about $10 million per year over the five years covered in the new report.

 

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association President (NNPA), thanked Holmes Norton for her support. The NNPA is a trade group that represents more than 200 Black-owned media companies and newspapers that reach 20 million readers, combined, in print and online, every week.

 

More than two years ago, Holmes Norton joined members of the NNPA and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) for a press conference on Capitol Hill, to demand the report, which was issued last week.

 

Dorothy Leavell, the chairman of the NNPA and publisher of the Crusader newspapers in Chicago and Gary, Ind., called the results of the report shameful. Leavell added that she would call for legislation to address the disparities; she also said that she plans on requesting meetings with members of Congress to further explore the matter.

 

In an interview, last week, Dr. Chavis called on Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus “to forcefully raise their voices of discontent and reaffirmation of the demands for equity, for justice, for fairness and end to this kind of systemic refusal to treat African American-owned and Latino-owned businesses along with others in a just, fair and equitable manner.”

 

Dr. Chavis added that the report revealed the consequences of systemic racial discrimination in both Republican and Democratic administrations when it comes to federal advertising spending.

 

Dr. Chavis continued: “It’s time for all of us to respond and to act. There should be legislation introduced in Congress immediately to rectify this gross systemic inequity.”

Category: Business

July 19, 2018 

By Shannen Hill 

Contributing Writer 

 

Dr. C. Freeman has held many roles in medicine, from being a geriatric psychiatrist to a mentor and even director of a residency program. Her latest title, however, was given on June 25 as she became the president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA).

 

Freeman had sat on the board of LACMA as district counselor, officer and district treasurer, but she has created a milestone for the association as the first African American president.  As president, Freeman is the face and spokesperson for LACMA, which has been the leading organization for physicians in Los Angeles County since 1871. Along with being a source for physician needs, LACMA also does a great deal of advocating for public healthcare needs. Freeman has worked with the public and medical professionals, but in her new role as president, she also meets with government officials to make healthcare more accessible.

 

“Growing up in Houston and going to college in D.C., I would see so many African American doctors,” said Freeman. “When I came to California, I was amazed at the shortage of African American doctors. Compared to the population, we are underrepresented here so I really appreciate this role because in this I see that I am a role model.”

 

Freeman was raised in Houston, where her father was a preacher in the 5th Ward, which is an underserved community. She always remembered the elderly taking care of her and watching over her in church. Having that connection to the elderly and seeing how the they were underserved, Freeman decided as a teenager that she wanted to be a geriatric psychiatrist. After high school, Freeman moved to Washington, D.C. and graduated from Howard with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She then completed medical school and a residency at the University of Virginia.

 

Even though medicine was a passion of Freeman, she wanted to try something different after finishing her residency. She changed careers and weather and ended up here in California at Pepperdine University where she studied business. While in business school, Freeman worked on the Navajo Reservation and regained her interest in medicine. Since she didn’t have many connections to the medical field in Los Angeles, Freeman decided to join the Charles R. Drew Medical Society. 

 

“I hadn’t trained here or gone to medical school here, so I needed to do something to feel connected,” said Freeman. “My church was in the 5th Ward in Houston, which has the socio-economic demographics of Watts and South Central so my association with this area is the familiarity to the people who took care of me in church.”

 

Freeman has been practicing as a geriatric psychiatrist for the last 18 years at Charles R. Drew University and is also the director of the Psychiatry Department and Resi­dency Program at the university. Along with practicing, she also values being part of organizations in her field and meeting diverse groups of medical professionals. Freeman is also a member of the Association of Black Women Physicians and mentors with the Saturday Science Academy II at Charles R. Drews University, which gives k-12 students the opportunity to learn about medicine.

 

“No matter where I go, there is always a connectivity to this university. I love their mission and adore the people that work here. It was actually through the Charles R. Drew Medical Society that I became a part of LACMA,” said Freeman. “There’s a job and there’s a career, and the difference has to do with passion, energy and balance. When you really care about what you do, you feed that spirit and take opportunities to interact with people in the field. That’s what makes it a career."

 

All of Freeman's experiences have led to June 25, where she had her celebration and installation of becoming president of LACMA. People from different times in her life, from childhood to college to current coworkers were there to celebrate her accomplishments and Freeman’s dedication to medicine continues to grow.

Category: Business

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