Latest news with #KellyMahoney
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
UCLA med school accused of discriminating against white, Asian applicants
[Source] A federal lawsuit filed against UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine claims that the institution continues to consider race in its admissions process, illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants and violating the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on affirmative action in higher education. The allegations The class action suit, which was filed on May 8 and first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, was brought by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) — the nonprofit that successfully challenged Harvard's affirmative action program — along with Do No Harm and Kelly Mahoney, a white woman applicant who scored in the 96th percentile on the MCAT but was rejected. The complaint alleges that under Associate Dean for Admissions Jennifer Lucero — who became dean in 2020 — the school uses 'holistic' review processes to determine applicants' race through essays and interviews, then uses that information to make admission decisions. Citing multiple whistleblowers, the suit claims that Lucero 'berates and belittles committee members who raise concerns about admitting minority students because of their race despite low GPAs and MCAT scores.' In one alleged 2021 meeting, Lucero allegedly said that the candidate's scores should not matter 'because we need people like this in the medical school,' referencing high mortality rates among African American women as justification for prioritizing Black applicants. Trending on NextShark: The big picture The suit argues its case with numbers. While white and Asian students typically comprised around 73% of the medical school's applicants between 2020 and 2023, their percentage among matriculants dropped from 65.7% in 2020 to 53.7% in 2023, as per the complaint. Black students made up 14.29% of matriculants in 2023 despite being only 7.86% of applicants, while Asian applicants constituted 40.79% of the pool but only 29.71% of matriculants. The legal challenge represents the latest test of the Supreme Court's 2023 SFFA v. Harvard decision, which ruled race-based admissions unconstitutional. It also comes amid broader scrutiny of UCLA by the Trump administration: the Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation into its medical school in March for potential race-based discrimination, while the Department of Justice announced that it would examine UCLA and other UC campuses for 'illegal DEI policies.' Additionally, UCLA is one of 60 universities under Department of Education investigation for anti-Semitic harassment following campus protests. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal lawsuit alleges UCLA medical school uses a race-based admissions process
A federal class-action lawsuit accuses UCLA's medical school and various university officials of using race as a factor in admissions, despite a state law and Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in California's Central District federal court, was brought by the activist group Do No Harm, founded in 2022 to fight affirmative action in medicine; Students for Fair Admissions, the nonprofit that won its suit at the Supreme Court against Harvard's affirmative action program; and Kelly Mahoney, a college graduate who was rejected from UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. According to the lawsuit, the legal action was being taken to stop the medical school and UCLA officials from allegedly "engaging in intentional discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity in the admissions process." UCLA's medical school did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read more: California banned affirmative action in 1996. Inside the UC struggle for diversity Citing unnamed "whistleblowers," the lawsuit alleges that Jennifer Lucero, the associate dean for admissions, "requires applicants to submit responses that are intended to allow the Committee to glean the applicant's race, which the medical school later confirms via interviews." It also alleges that Lucero and admissions committee members "routinely and openly" discussed race and used it as a factor to make admission decisions. Lucero did not immediately respond to an emailed request to comment. 'Do No Harm is fighting for all the students who have been racially discriminated against by UCLA under the guise of political progress,' Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, said in a news release. "All medical schools must abide by the law of the land and prioritize merit, not immutable characteristics, in admissions." Read more: Justice Department probes major California universities over 'illegal DEI' in admissions The lawsuit comes as UCLA and other UC campuses are facing scrutiny by the Trump administration for potential 'illegal DEI' in admissions practices. The Department of Justice in late March said it would investigate UCLA, UC Irvine, Stanford and UC Berkeley, suggesting the schools flouted state law and U.S. Supreme Court precedent banning the use of race as a factor when evaluating college applicants. A UC spokesperson said in a statement about the March investigation that UC stopped using race in admissions when Proposition 209 — which bans consideration of race in public education, hiring and contracting — went into effect in 1997. Since then, 'UC has implemented admissions practices to comply with the law.' Separately at the time, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was investigating an unnamed 'major medical school in California to determine whether it discriminates on the basis of race, color, or national origin in its admissions. An HHS official previously told The Times that the investigation centered on the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. In response to that March announcement, UCLA said "we will be fully cooperating with their investigation." The lawsuit Thursday alleges that Lucero and the admissions committee routinely admit Black applicants with below-average GPA and MCAT, or Medical College Admission Test scores, "while requiring whites and Asians to have near-perfect scores to even be seriously considered." According to the lawsuit, Do No Harm has at least one member who applied to Geffen, was rejected and "is able and ready to reapply if a court orders Defendants to stop discriminating and to undo the effects of its past discrimination." Students for Fair Admissions has at least one member who will apply to the medical school. "In this race-based system," the lawsuit alleges, "all applicants are deprived of their right to equal treatment and the opportunity to pursue their lifelong dream of becoming a doctor because of utterly arbitrary criteria." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
09-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Federal lawsuit alleges UCLA medical school uses a race-based admissions process
A federal class-action lawsuit accuses UCLA's medical school and various university officials of using race as a factor in admissions, despite a state law and Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in California's Central District federal court, was brought by the activist group Do No Harm, founded in 2022 to fight affirmative action in medicine; Students for Fair Admissions, the nonprofit that won its suit at the Supreme Court against Harvard's affirmative action program; and Kelly Mahoney, a college graduate who was rejected from UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. According to the lawsuit, the legal action was being taken to stop the medical school and UCLA officials from allegedly 'engaging in intentional discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity in the admissions process.' UCLA's medical school did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Citing unnamed 'whistleblowers,' the lawsuit alleges that Jennifer Lucero, the associate dean for admissions, 'requires applicants to submit responses that are intended to allow the Committee to glean the applicant's race, which the medical school later confirms via interviews.' It also alleges that Lucero and admissions committee members 'routinely and openly' discussed race and used it as a factor to make admission decisions. Lucero did not immediately respond to an emailed request to comment. 'Do No Harm is fighting for all the students who have been racially discriminated against by UCLA under the guise of political progress,' Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, said in a news release. 'All medical schools must abide by the law of the land and prioritize merit, not immutable characteristics, in admissions.' The lawsuit comes as UCLA and other UC campuses are facing scrutiny by the Trump administration for potential 'illegal DEI' in admissions practices. The Department of Justice in late March said it would investigate UCLA, UC Irvine, Stanford and UC Berkeley, suggesting the schools flouted state law and U.S. Supreme Court precedent banning the use of race as a factor when evaluating college applicants. A UC spokesperson said in a statement about the March investigation that UC stopped using race in admissions when Proposition 209 — which bans consideration of race in public education, hiring and contracting — went into effect in 1997. Since then, 'UC has implemented admissions practices to comply with the law.' Separately at the time, the Department of Health and Human Services said it was investigating an unnamed 'major medical school in California to determine whether it discriminates on the basis of race, color, or national origin in its admissions. An HHS official previously told The Times that the investigation centered on the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. In response to that March announcement, UCLA said 'we will be fully cooperating with their investigation.' The lawsuit Thursday alleges that Lucero and the admissions committee routinely admit Black applicants with below-average GPA and MCAT, or Medical College Admission Test scores, 'while requiring whites and Asians to have near-perfect scores to even be seriously considered.' According to the lawsuit, Do No Harm has at least one member who applied to Geffen, was rejected and 'is able and ready to reapply if a court orders Defendants to stop discriminating and to undo the effects of its past discrimination.' Students for Fair Admissions has at least one member who will apply to the medical school. 'In this race-based system,' the lawsuit alleges, 'all applicants are deprived of their right to equal treatment and the opportunity to pursue their lifelong dream of becoming a doctor because of utterly arbitrary criteria.'
Business of Fashion
29-04-2025
- Business
- Business of Fashion
Ulta Looks to Rekindle the Magic With Cowboys, Squishmallows and Prada
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — At 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, much of San Antonio was still asleep. But Ulta Beauty World was just saddling up. A DJ blasted Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter tunes into the lobby of the Henry B. González Convention Center, which housed close to 200 branded booths inside the retailer's first ever consumer-focused convention. The first of 1,500 attendees were greeted by the event's official host, Ulta Beauty associate-turned-mega-beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira. Many wore sparkly cowboy hats and rolled in empty suitcases, which they were told to bring for the haul they were about to experience. When doors opened at 9:00 a.m., some broke into a run. The Apr. 26 event was one part of what executives Amiee Bayer-Thomas, Ulta Beauty's new chief retail officer, and Kelly Mahoney, its new CMO, described as a strategy to cultivate more 'love' for the Ulta Beauty brand. As a one-day, consumer-facing extension of the company's annual Field Leadership Conference for store managers and regional executives, Ulta Beauty World featured activations from brands that spanned hair, makeup, brow and skincare services, claw games to win products and photo opportunities. It also came with a country-western twist that complemented the retailer's recent sponsorship of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour (and its exclusive on her hair line Cécred). Admission cost $160, and came with mountains of free beauty samples. The event was part of Ulta Beauty's back-to-basics strategy to re-engage the core US customer base that helped it achieve rapid growth after the pandemic, going from $8.6 billion in net sales in 2021 to $11.2 billion in 2023. After a slower pace in 2024, the retailer is betting that its accessibility and democratised curation will help it retain its number-one position in the US, according to the company, even as it plans its first international expansions to Mexico via beauty company Axo and the Middle East with Alshaya Group. 'We have the mix of everything all in one place — every single category, every price point, low to high,' said Bayer-Thomas, who took on the newly created role of chief retail officer in January. Bayer-Thomas was one of several additions to the company's C-suite after former COO and longtime Ulta executive Kecia Steelman succeeded Dave Kimbell as CEO in January. Others include chief marketing officer Kelly Mahoney, chief technology and transformation officer Mike Maresca and chief merchandising and digital officer Lauren Brindley. This new guard is announcing a slew of changes to reinvigorate the business and excite the core Ulta Beauty customer. In 2024, sales grew by less than 1 percent with a 1.9 percent net sales decline in the fiscal fourth quarter. Ulta Beauty has faced a variety of headwinds, including dampened US consumer sentiment and increased competition from Sephora to Amazon. 'This year is going to be a 'reset year' of maybe investing a bit more to improve that brand engagement,' said Korinne Wolfmeyer, an analyst at Piper Sandler who downgraded Ulta Beauty to neutral last year. The Ulta Beauty World debut is part of a 'new strategy from this leadership team, to drive stronger customer engagement and better brand relevance for Ulta.' Reengaging Its Core True to the event's name, ticketholders were treated to a world of brands, each of them denizens of Ulta Beauty's greater assortment. There were booths for mass labels like E.l.f. Beauty and Nyx; not one, but two Squishmallows beauty collaborations; and classic luxury names like Lancôme and Estée Lauder. Plush mascots of beauty products danced around the convention center, while visitors clad in cowboy boots and denim could take photos with large 'Welcome to Texas' and Ulta Beauty logo signs. The Nyx Professional Makeup booth at Ulta Beauty World in San Antonio, Texas on Apr. 26, 2025. (BRUNO@ Creative/Ulta Beauty) Just as the retailer reinforced its name recognition, Ulta Beauty World also gave prime billing to its biggest partners: some of the most central booths were those for the Estée Lauder, L'Oréal Group and Coty-owned brands. Luxury labels included names like Prada, Valentino, Chloé, Marc Jacobs and YSL Beauty. That approach is also evident in the retailer's brand lineup, where the 'number one' priority 'would be our established brands – MACs, Cliniques,' said Bayer-Thomas, who added that brands in the 'prestige' category drive 70 percent of Ulta Beauty's sales. While competitor Sephora's 'Sephoria' event has been held mostly in major international hubs like New York and Dubai, Ulta Beauty World's San Antonio location is part of the retailer's embrace of its core American audience. Attendance was a broad mix of mostly women from Gen Z to Boomers, many of whom flew in from other parts of the country. The new leadership team is 'ultra-focused on the core business and getting that back on track,' said Wolfmeyer. 'Then you can start seeking out some additional growth levers.' Beyond its upcoming international launches, it is launching a new curated marketplace feature to compete with Amazon. At a time when Sephora has been making inroads with buzzy it-girl brands and celebrity lines like Rare Beauty, Bayer-Thomas said the development of emerging and exclusive brands is also still a priority. The brands present — many of whom count Ulta Beauty as their biggest retailer — were enthusiastic participants. One of the most prominent was Beyoncé's hair-care line Cécred, which featured an oval booth and presentation stage. The star's mother and brand's vice chairwoman Tina Knowles made an appearance at the event for managers and local executives earlier the week. The retailer is going all-in on Cécred promotions, and announced on Friday that it is the beauty sponsor for the singer's Cowboy Carter tour, which kicked off Monday night. The Cécred booth at Ulta Beauty World. (ISP Creative/Ulta Beauty) Brands also used the event to talk up their Ulta Beauty exclusives. The Ordinary, whose booth representative said the label is the specialty retailer's top seller in skincare, teased that an upcoming product would be an Ulta Beauty exclusive for several months. 'People are a little bit exhausted with social media and social media is still a great tool, but nothing can beat being in person with your consumer,' said Naturium founder Susan Yara, who was one of several founders who stayed through the consumer-facing event to meet with customers. A Reset Year The event is also indicative of what is to come in Ulta Beauty's 1,445 stores. Bayer-Thomas said the retailer's 'differentiated experiential model' will feature 70,000 events — such as branded masterclasses across skin, wellness, hair and makeup — in its stores in 2025, up from 50,000 last year. Eighty percent of the retailer's sales still occur in store, she said. The goal for these events, and a new platform set up to help market them to members of Ulta Beauty's 44-million-person loyalty programme, is 'really about those shopping with us on an existing level,' but they do also function as a 'hook to bring new customers through the doors,' said Mahoney. Investing in its own infrastructure is top of mind at the retailer. This month, Steelman announced the abrupt halt of its expansion of Target shop-in-shops. While Bayer-Thomas did not specify whether the partnership will end, she said that the pause was meant to 'ensure we were delivering on the Ulta Beauty experience in those locations' and recalibrate its approach. The retailer's revamp and investment in marketing is a factor in the retailer lowering its margin target, said Wolfmeyer, who noted that a combination of initiatives would be needed to get it back on track. 'It's not like you just flip a switch on one thing, and it fixes it all,' she said. 'It is making sure you get those new brands into the stores, re-engaging the consumer and doing these types of events to get consumers more excited.' That excitement was apparent in San Antonio, where attendees lugged their hauls out the front doors. A full-to-the-brim Beis gift bag with products like Marc Jacobs' newly launched Daisy fragrance was added to the top of their pile on the way out. An unboxing post by Nogueira going through the bag earned 2.3 million views on TikTok. The sheer level of free products certainly didn't hurt to drum up enthusiasm, but Ulta Beauty's test now is to translate that into sales at a time when consumer sentiment has taken a hit due to ongoing tariff uncertainty. According to Bayer-Thomas, the combination of both affordability and accessibility will both be needed to keep customers' interest. 'Some of it is monetary, for sure,' she said. 'But also during times like this, people are looking for a place to go where they feel welcome, where they feel seen, where they can get an experience.' Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day's most important beauty and wellness news and analysis.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ulta taps company vet for chief marketer role
This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Ulta Beauty has named Kelly Mahoney its new chief marketing officer, according to a LinkedIn post Tuesday. Mahoney will lead the beauty retailer's brand marketing strategy, innovation, customer engagement and growth. 'Celebrating her 10-year Ulta-versary this year, Kelly is a true champion of our culture and passionate about our brand purpose and unleashing the power of beauty to bring to life limitless possibilities for all,' the company said in the post. Mahoney, who was previously senior vice president of customer and growth marketing, replaces Michelle Crossan-Matos, who exited the chief marketer post last month. Ulta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the exact dates that Mahoney took on the role and Crossan-Matos left. The C-suite change comes about a month and a half after former CEO Dave Kimbell retired from his role, with then-Chief Operating Officer Kecia Steelman taking on the top spot. The company has not named a replacement for Steelman's old position since then, but Chief Store Operations Officer Amiee Bayer-Thomas was named Chief Retail Officer in January, according to the company website. The retailer also has a chief supply chain officer, Erik Lopez, who took on the role last year. In addition to those moves, Chief Technology and Information Officer Mike Maresca became Chief Technology and Transformation Officer in January. Chief Merchandising Officer Monica Arnaudo also plans to retire this spring and Ulta replaced its longtime chief financial officer just last year. All told, the moves amount to a significant shuffling of the C-suite at Ulta. Of the nine named C-suite members on Ulta's website, six were named to their current position within the last 12 months. Recommended Reading Bed Bath & Beyond taps Burlington vet as chief marketing, customer officer Sign in to access your portfolio
