Determined

Cathie Black: 'I'm a Warrior'

Compares being NYC schools chancellor to speaking Russian.

Ousted after just 95 days on the job as chancellor of New York City public schools, former Hearst Magazines boss Cathie Black has opened up about her brief stint in the realm of education. Addressing whether heading America’s largest public school system was too much for a woman with no education experience, she told Fortune, “It was like having to learn Russian in a weekend—and then give speeches in Russian and speak Russian in budget committee and City Council meetings." She also wondered if sexism came into play, wondering, “If I were a guy, would I have had the pounding that I did?” Before managing magazines, including Cosmopolitan and Oprah’s O at Hearst, she built USA Today for Gannett. Despite her firing—Dennis Walcott, a deputy mayor with plenty of education experience, succeeded her this week—Black has vowed to make a comeback, saying, “I’m a warrior.”