Mentoring as a Lifelong Practice

September 26, 2023: The opening event of the 2023-24 Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program featured a panel of speakers, including mentors and former mentees, who talked about the merits of mentorship throughout different stages of one's career and its relationship to leadership.
Meet the panelists:
Rosie Kasica is a Business Administration Manager at Warner Bros. Discovery managing a team of talent executive assistants and business coordinators who provide administrative support to CNN's New York-based anchors/talent, the network's morning show "CNN This Morning," and CNN's business affairs team. Previously, Rosie was a Senior Broadcast Producer at CNN/HLN's "Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield," and HLN's long-running crime show, "Nancy Grace." Before that she was a producer at CNN Financial News. Rosie started working in television covering business news at Dow Jones' Wall Street Journal Group. She received her BA from Rutgers and her MA from New York University. Rosie is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and New York Women in Film and Television. She's a mentor for the Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program and a member of the Institute for Women's Leadership Advisory Board. Rosie also created the "Manuel Pinho and Mario Teques Memorial Endowed Scholarship" for first generation students enrolled in Journalism and Media Studies at SC&I. It was created to honor her father and godfather.
Rachel Bernstein is a Senior Analyst Relations Manager at Splunk, a software company headquartered in San Francisco. Rachel and her team collaborate with the leading global research firms to increase awareness and knowledge sharing between Splunk and industry analysts who influence buyers’ decision making, purchases, and technology stacks. Before this role, Rachel was a Senior Media Relations Coordinator at NextPR, an agency specializing in PR strategies for tech startups and B2B technology companies. A Rutgers University alumna, Rachel started her career working for the Rutgers Institute for Women's Leadership where she piloted and launched the Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program, as well as coordinated programming and events under the Gloria Steinem Initiative in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies. She also volunteers her time with the Agape Project, a non-profit organization focusing on street outreach and harm reduction for those suffering from the disease of addiction. Rachel has lived and worked in New Jersey, Colorado, Washington, and now resides in Massachusetts with her husband Jake.
Alexa Lima is a proud first-generation Latina with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She is the Marketing & Outreach Manager at Tara Dowdell Group. In this role she supports the public relations strategy efforts from social media to outreach initiatives. Before joining Tara Dowdell Group, Alexa was the Executive Director of the Central Avenue Special Improvement District (SID) in Jersey City, NJ. During her tenure, she helped small businesses receive grant funding and reopen after the COVID-19 lockdowns. Under Alexa's leadership, the Central Avenue SID attracted several new businesses bringing increased employment and economic opportunities to the community. Alexa is a champion of small businesses across sectors, with experience in economic development, relationship-building, marketing, and communications strategies. In 2022, Alexa was presented with the Woman of Action Award by Jersey City Councilman Yousef Saleh. Alexa was also recognized in ROI-NJ Influencers- People of Color 2022. She is a former mentee of the Alison R. Bernstein Media Mentoring Program.
The panel was moderated by Sangeeta Rao, Senior Director of Mentoring and Faculty Outreach at Rutgers University, who is responsible for charting strategy and establishing institutional supports that advance mentorship and professional development of a diverse faculty. She leads outreach initiatives that connect to national best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion to identify and grow faculty's capacity across all units at Rutgers. Prior to joining University Equity & Inclusion, Rao was Assistant Dean of Mentoring at Rutgers Business School and the co-founder of the Rutgers Center for Women in Business. She earned her doctorate in Communication Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.