School of Communication and the Arts Hosts Guest Speaker Julie Roginsky

On Feb. 13, at 12:30 pm in the Cabaret Lounge, the School of Communication and the Arts at Marist University hosted a guest speaker event featuring Democratic Party strategist, television personality and nonprofit founder Julie Roginsky. 

The event, which was largely attended by members of Professor Gary Sussman’s Crisis Communications class and Dr. Amanda Damiano’s Communication Campaign Management course, allowed students from those classes to ask Roginsky questions spanning her career.

“[Roginsky] is very, very accomplished,” said Sussman, who also organized the event. “She was one of the people who took down Roger Ailes,” added Sussman, referencing Roginsky’s role in forcing the then-chairman and CEO of Fox News to resign after she helped level sexual harassment charges against him based on the experiences of her and other women at Fox.

Sussman said that events like this “[get students] to think more about the subject matter.”

“I try to teach my classes as practical classes… not heavy on bookwork, but heavy on what you do when you’re in the actual situation,” said Sussman. 

“What is paramount is learning how to think, how to react, how you would handle a situation, how you would approach a situation and I think that when you have people that are accomplished in the business, whatever the field is… they can give you better insights than when you’re reading off a page,” said Sussman.

Earlier in the semester, Sussman had Daryl Richard ‘97, vice president of communications and marketing at Marist, speak to his class in person. The rest of the speakers, including Roginsky, will be present via Zoom, which Sussman says “allows you to expand your speaker universe.”

Other speakers included Jim Rocco, editor of Sports Crisis Communications; Jay Horowitz, former vice president of media relations for the New York Mets; and Brendan McIntyre, managing director and head of US Open, Pro Tennis and USA Tennis communications and content at the United States Tennis Association. 

“We have a combination of corporate and sports [speakers], but the students will get to see that the principles all meld into one,” said Sussman.

“When you hear from professionals, it gives you a little more of an understanding that it’s not going to be easy, but it being hard is part of the process,” added Sussman. 

The event itself covered a wide variety of subjects.

“Your phone is all you need, which is at once liberating and a lot more work,” said Roginsky. “You’ve got to be working 24/7, and it’s excruciating and exhilarating and everything in between.”

“Whether it’s a crisis or not, everything is rapid-response,” added Roginsky, further commenting on the differences between the contemporary state of media and what it was like when she first entered the field roughly thirty years ago.

Roginsky, who immigrated to the United States from Moscow, Russia, with her parents when she was seven years old, argued that her immigration experience explains why she is as tenacious and fearless as she is, saying that “nothing else is as scary as [the immigration process].”

Roginsky also offered some hard truths of both the field and life. 

“It doesn’t matter who you are; we are all replaceable,” said Roginsky. “Do it, and then figure it out afterwards. If it doesn’t [work out], you’re gonna have some sleepless nights… but the only way out is through.”

“The best thing you can ever be is a good writer,” claimed Roginsky. “You become a good writer by being a good reader.”

Roginsky also detailed the discriminatory nature of the communications field when she first entered it, noting that she was “the only woman in the room, always,” and the fact that some meetings were held in active strip clubs likely to test Roginsky’s resolve and whether or not she would complain about/report her circumstances.

“I would hope things like that don’t happen anymore,” said Roginsky.

As part of her conclusion, Roginsky made the eye-opening, poignant observation: “It’s a long way from 22 until retirement,” but she assured audience members throughout. “It turns out for the best, I promise.”