Page 26 - midJersey Business - March 2015

Women
Strong
in Business

A

SIGNAL

VETERAN DJ CHRIS ROLLINS TO PRESENT KEYNOTE AT THE
by Mike Bederka
CHAMBER’S WOMEN IN BUSINESS CONFERENCE

hris Rollins is battling a cold, but you wouldn’t know it. The upbeat personality
of long-time WPST DJ efortlessly shines through the congestion.

Between her easy demeanor and the mix of phone pranks, celebrity gossip, and

top 40 hits, Rollins has entertained countless listeners on her Chris and the Crew

morning radio show.
“STAY TRUE TO
The 41-year-old will present the keynote talk at the upcoming MIDJersey Chamber of Com-

YOURSELF, AND
merce’s Women in Business Conference where she will discuss how to survive the business
DON’T LET OTHER
world as a woman and the work-life balance. To preview the event, she tells midJersey Business
PEOPLE GET YOU
about her unlikely career path, shares advice to other professional women, and describes why
DOWN. YOU CAN’T
it’s (still) so tough to get up at 4:30 a.m.
PLEASE EVERY-

ONE. YOU HAVE TO
HAVE A THICK SKIN
junior year and stuck around for
IN THIS BUSINESS.”
MJB
MJB
Did you always
my senior year as well. It was cool. What do you attribute
want to be a DJ?
to your long success?
I was going out to promotional
Oh, gosh no. I never events and things like that.
I didn’t go to broadcast-
ROLLINS
ROLLINS
thought this would be my career.
After I graduated, I got a job in ing school or take any radio classes
I’m a local girl. I grew up in Cran- their copy department. I was in college. And I’m glad I didn’t.

bury and went to Rider. I didn’t there for a couple months, but A good deal of my show has been
know what I wanted to do, so I they were having problems get- my life and my life experiences. I

became a communications major, ting a morning show co-host at don’t feel like I need any formal
which gave me a million options. the time. The program director training to sit around and talk to

During my junior year, we were came to me and said, “You’re such my friends, which is what I strive
required to do an internship. All an outgoing person. You talk to to do. I don’t want to have a “radio

my friends got these serious busi- everybody. What would you think show.” I want to talk to you like
ness internships where they had about going on the air?” I was like, you’re having a conversation with

to buy suits. I thought to myself, “What?” I wasn’t even thinking your friend next to you in the car.
“No way.” I asked my adviser to about it, and honestly, at irst, I

put me somewhere fun. He said told her no. A friend then said,
MJB
Has music always been an
why don’t you try the radio station “Are you crazy? People would give
PST, which I had listened to my their right arm for this job.” Nine- important part of your life?

whole life. I did the internship my
teen years later, here I am.
Deinitely. You identify so
ROLLINS

business
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midJersey