“Sakurako Fisher … stepped down as the Symphony’s board president, after eight years, on Dec. 9,” writes Joshua Kosman in Tuesday’s (12/22) San Francisco Chronicle. “Her tireless work ethic, her deep involvement in every aspect of the Symphony’s operation, and her eagerness to challenge comfortable truisms about how things should be done—all these add up to the portrait of a leader who, at 61, has taken a forceful role in moving the Symphony forward…. ‘She has a way of respecting an organization’s legacy and the contributions people have made, while at the same time pushing people to think differently about the future,’ says CEO Mark C. Hanson…. The array of organizational challenges Fisher has confronted [include] finding a successor to Michael Tilson Thomas … a search that culminated in the 2018 hiring of Esa-Pekka Salonen…. Perhaps her most determined energy has been spent in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion, where Fisher has been a key player…. Investment banker Debbie McCoy, who joined the board two years ago, said Fisher’s commitment to progress on that front had helped persuade her to get involved…. Fisher will remain on the board after passing the baton to her successor, Priscilla Geeslin.”
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