cathie black

cathie black: Mayor Bloomberg tapped a high-profile businesswoman as New York's new schools chancellor after Joel Klein resigned from the job he's held for eight years.

Cathie Black, the chair of Hearst Magazines, was hailed by Hizzoner as "a great New Yorker" and described as "brilliant, innovative and driven."

"She is a superstar manager who has succeeded in the private sector," Bloomberg said of Black.

Asked why he didn't pick somebody with a traditional education background, the mayor said he wanted a chancellor who could build on what Klein started and prepare the city's school children for the jobs of the future.

"Cathie is a world class manager," added Bloomberg, who said he told Black as part of his job pitch that it was "a chance to change the world."

Black thanked Bloomberg for the appointment and said she has "no illusions" about the challenges facing her.