ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS
ROCHELLE HAYNES, BA ’02 VICE PRESIDENT OF US SOCIAL IMPACT, SESAME WORKSHOP
If you had to condense your job description into an elevator pitch, how would it read? As a social impact leader at Sesame Workshop, my focus has been on scaling Sesame Street in Communities (SSIC). SSIC is a bilingual, multimedia initiative harnessing the power of Muppets and research-based content to reach vulnerable children with resources that foster healthy development — literacy, numeracy, health and social emotional learning. We partner with national early childhood development organizations and regional coalitions to deliver resources to help vulnerable children mitigate against the effects of trauma. Our goal is to not only provide resources but to use our platform to raise awareness of the long-term impact of adverse childhood experiences and the support needed to help vulnerable children and families. What about your job at Sesame Workshop inspires you? What truly inspires me about my work with Sesame Workshop is the Sesame Street in Communities partners. Throughout the country, we have partners who are serving kids and families at all levels — from policy leaders advocating for additional early childhood development resources to direct service organizations providing much-needed on-the-ground support to vulnerable children and families. All our partners have an unwavering dedication and tenacious spirit when it comes to being of service to families. And, when I reflect on how they have been innovatively responsive to the needs of families from the start of the pandemic until now, I am inspired by their unwavering commitment and leadership. How did Rockefeller College prepare you for your career? Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, I spent most of my career working on anti-poverty policies and programs as a public servant. For over 10
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Rockefeller College News Magazine I Fall 2021
years I served in a variety of roles in New York City government, ranging from policy analyst to Chief of Staff with a focus on affordable housing, social services and homelessness prevention. My time at Rockefeller College as a political science major prepared me for public service by helping me develop the analytical skills needed to review complex policy problems and develop strategies on how to advance said policies through the legislative process. As an undergraduate, in addition to the core instructional training I received, the College’s location and connections to the New York State Legislature afforded me the opportunity to apply theory in a practical way by serving as a policy and legislative intern which was invaluable experience. Was there anyone at Rockefeller who left a lasting impact on you? During my time at Rockefeller College, Dr. Anne Hildreth’s teachings and mentorship left a lasting impact on me. In her lectures, she would thoughtfully push her students to go beyond surface level political analysis to understanding the role that data and election outcomes play in the overall political economy. While as a mentor, she was a champion of my studies and scholarship as I navigated being a first-generation four-year college student with aspirations for graduate studies. What are your proudest accomplishments in your career and life? When I reflect on my career and life, my proudest accomplishments have a common thread of the moments when I was truly of service to others. During my career, any moment when I was able to leverage my role to bring awareness to the needs of vulnerable communities and couple that with the advancement of inclusive policies and resources, has filled me with pride and a sense of purpose. One project that stands out to me is when my team and I successfully secured over $20 million to
