Set her up for success, with clearly defined expectations. Make sure she has the necessary tools to do well in your organization. You should support her the way you would any new co-worker. She doesn’t need you to protect her from reality. She’s going to be fine, or not, but she’s an adult. As you note, she’s the best woman for the job. I can assure you there is nothing about your workplace she hasn’t already experienced elsewhere. Why do you think this capable, talented woman needs you to rescue her from a position for which she willingly applied? It’s condescending to assume she won’t be able to handle your office culture. How can I help her feel supported and help her to thrive, even as I know both the organization and I have lots more to do? (I regret to say I thought of them as “difficult.”) I know now that this is a function of my own internalized racism and cultural expectations, but am unsure about what I should do differently to become a better manager and co-worker - to this woman and all the people of color I work with. Second, I’ve struggled with the Black women I’ve collaborated closely with in the past. I know from her social media presence that she’s quite outspoken on issues of race, which I think would be great for our organization - but potentially really draining for her. I’m worried that if she takes the job she’ll grow frustrated at our still not very “woke” culture and the pace of change. It worked! The unquestionably best person for the job is a Black woman. I’m hiring for a relatively junior position and have put a fair amount of work into recruiting a diverse pool of candidates. I’m a white woman in middle management at a somewhat stodgy nonprofit that has been grappling with doing more to advance racial equity. Include your name and location, or a request to remain anonymous.
After the transition, Geiss will continue as chair of the development committee on the board.Send questions about the office, money, careers and work-life balance to. Gay replaces Suzanne Geiss, who will serve as vice president. Schlenzka has said she eventually wants at least 50 percent of Performance Space New York’s board to be artists. Nicole Eisenman, Jonathan González, and Jackson Polys were among the artists who joined the board in 2020. There has also been a push by Performance Space New York to add more artists to its board. In 2020, Performance Space New York handed over the keys to a group of artists, allowing them total control of funding and programming. While appointing Gay to the high-ranking post would be unconventional at most art spaces, it’s not an entirely unusual move for Performance Space, which has a history of involving artists behind the scenes with the aim of reconfiguring what an arts organization can look like. Jenny Schlenzka, executive artistic director of Performance Space New York, called Gay “someone who would rather make change than endlessly talk about making change.” Adding, “Her opinions are realistic and they’re sound: she wants a more equitable and accessible culture and sees how we can be part of creating this culture.” In a statement Gay said that, as board president, she intends to “continue supporting great experimental art,” ensuring that “a diversity of aesthetics is brought to Performance Space.” Gay also said she was committed to diversifying Performance Space’s supporters and “making sure we continue to ensure that it’s not only people with money who get to sit on the board and make decisions-because that’s not a reflection of our actual community.”
She was first connected to the organization by her wife Debbie Millman, who is also a board member. Gay has also been involved with Performance Space for a while, sitting on its board for a year and a half. Art That Stirs Creativity: Roxane Gay, Westside Gunn, Jónsi, and More on Work That Inspires Them