Chancellor of the New York City Public School System, Joel Klein, has resigned after 8 years in that position. In his place, Mayor Bloomberg has appointed a woman named Cathie Black who was chairman of Hearst Magazines and author of the book Basic Black (a guide to balancing work life and personal life). Although she appears to have a long history of managerial experience, she does not have any type of educational background which could be cause for concern at a time like this when the educational system is undergoing serious reforms and we need a leader who understands what has failed in the past and what could work for the future. At the same time, let's keep in mind that former chancellor of the D.C. public school system also lacked the type of experience that others would have expected her to have and she quickly tore things up in a very take-charge and positive way. This is a pivotal development at a pivotal time and it will be interesting to watch it unfold.