Alumni Testimonial - Genna Rosenberg '95

Genna Rosenberg, Class of ‘95 CEO | GennComm & Chief Ideator | GennComm ImaGENNation

I graduated from the University of Maryland class of 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from the College of Arts & Humanities, and Double Major in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism; and I am proud to have been part of UMD’s inaugural graduating class with a Women’s Studies degree that year! 

It was an exciting and transformative time, in the early 1990s, discovering Women's Empowerment, the importance of Gender and Racial Equity, and experiencing the power of Social Activism. I think often about my Women’s Studies education at Maryland, and how it crystallized my commitment to purpose-driven advocacy work. My studies laid a foundation for me to evolve, and inspired me to lead with intentionality and utilize transferrable skills in my own way throughout my over 25 year career in the toy, licensing and entertainment industries. 

The subject matter from my studies came to life vividly throughout my academic journey. From writers and artists like Zora Neal Hurston, Georgia O’Keefe, Maya Angelou and Frida Khalo, to brave activists and changemakers from throughout history, it all inspired me from different angles. I recall learning about the Women’s Rights Movement and the landmark Roe vs. Wade case, and then University inviting pioneering attorney Sarah Weddington who argued the case came to Maryland to speak. She talked about how fragile women’s rights still were despite the win, and the next day we Marched on Washington from The White House to The Capital for Abortion Rights. Unbelievable that all these years later, we are STILL fighting for women to have rights over their own bodies. My studies led me to apply for and get an internship in the press department at the DC office for the National Organization for Women, working directly with NOW president, Patricia Ireland, and attending the National NOW Conference in Ohio, Marching there as well for Women’s Rights in that state’s capital, and really soaking in the power of our collective voices on a mission to make an impact on local and national government. I remember Reading The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, then meeting her when she came to NOW during my time there, too. I remember saliently how mind-blowing it was at the time, realizing why my grandmother was so focused on making sure we maintained a certain weight, and looked “put together” at all times, because she was programmed to think that was imperative. I also had a Black boyfriend during my entire college experience, which I think also intensified and personalized the importance of not judging based on race and exposed me to new cultures and communities. He and our friends had a popular campus radio show, The Soul Controller Mix Show, frequented by Hip Hop royalty passing through the DC area that would come to the show and spin records. I was in-studio every Friday night and it ignited my passion for Hip Hop.

I am proud that WiT has been invited three times to ring the opening and closing Bell on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange coinciding The Wonder Women Awards to celebrate WiTs impact, and that I was invited to participate in the White House’s United State of Women Conference at the end of President Obama’s presidency - what amazing experiences!

While I work in Corporate America, I am using this platform to lead with intention to create impact and change within the toys, licensing and entertainment industries. I am CEO of a global PR and marketing agency GennComm, and Chief Ideator and Connector at the Company’s licensing and product development Think Tank, GennComm ImaGENNation; and UpBeat ImaGENNation Group, a division of GennComm, LLC, committed to developing, producing and publishing content, products and music centered on empowerment and social good.  

I have been a trusted thought leader in the toy and licensing industries for decades, having served both public and private toycos and agencies. I have been an advisor and storyteller for many of the top entertainment and gaming studios, including ViacomCBS, SONY, NBCUniversal, SYBO Games, Outfit7 and The Jim Henson Company, and hundreds of top beloved brands including Subway Surfers, 5 Surprise Mini Brands, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pokémon, Disney and Marvel brands, Tamagotchi, SpongeBob SquarePants, JoJo Siwa, Pound Puppies, Ghostbusters, and countless more, and have worked with many of our clients on campaigns focused on social good, sustainability and more. I also represent some incredible Black female CEOs, Dr. Lisa Williams, and Terri-Nichelle Bradley, who each created amazing products that inspire children of color to see their beauty and excellence, and that inspire possibilities with their products The Fresh Dolls, Positively Perfect and Brown Toy Box STEAM Toys. 

In 2009, I got involved with Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT), the leading organization for career advancement for women working in those industries, and was quickly named WIT’s Woman To Watch at the 2010 Wonder Women Awards. Since then, I leaned further in, joining the WiT Board of Directors and serving for the past 10 years, dedicating my time and knowledge to help evolve programming, as an active Mentor to WiT members, and co-chairing the organization’s WIT Wonder Women Awards, which lift-up and shine a bright spotlight on extraordinary women in myriad roles within the toy, licensing and entertainment industries. In February 2022 WiT celebrated 30 years of advancing women, and was my 10th year co-hosting the Awards, having lead the event to grow from 100 people to over 800 attendees, with past Honorees ranging from women’s empowerment Activist and Actor Geena Davis, to Warner Bros and ViacomCBS consumer products Presidents Pam Lifford and Pam Kaufman. I am proud that WiT has been invited three times to ring the opening and closing Bell on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange coinciding The Wonder Women Awards to celebrate WiTs impact, and that I was invited to participate in the White House’s United State of Women Conference at the end of President Obama’s presidency - what amazing experiences!

Learning about advocacy and the need to focus on underrepresented voices at Maryland also inspired me to activism beyond women’s empowerment as well. I both work with and volunteer with many nonprofits, and in my corporate work discovered the power of Corporately-funded social good, or CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility. I have been a member of the Los Angeles Community Leaders for the past 15 years, a group of corporate executives committed to Social Responsibility. While serving for 12 years as the senior Vice President of communications, investor relations and philanthropy at the publicly traded toyco JAKKS Pacific, I was empowered to lead their CSR, and made it a personal goal to formalize the company’s charitable division to help children in need around the world. During that time I thoughtfully directed over $60 million in product and cash donations to needy, under-served communities and spearheaded an employee fundraising campaign for Operation Smile that generated over $250,000 and resulted in the company receiving a Humanitarian Award. I served on The Toy Foundation Board of Directors and the Board of Directors for Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, each for seven+ years, and in 2019 was named a Hero for Healing for Camp Ronald for Good Times for my dedication and fundraising on behalf of the charity that supports children with cancer. 

And, committed to Allyship around diversity, equity and inclusion, I serve on the Diversity and Inclusion for Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment and also The Toy Association. At GennComm our entire team embraces opportunities our PR clients have to amplify their social good, and we love to guide them to amplify their corporate citizenship. Team GennComm ImaGENNation is actively working to create adaptive products to help those with special needs, products with profits tied to social good, and inclusive entertainment content, developed with a deliberate lens toward social responsibility and inclusivity in mind. 

And I have been working with the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) being built in Bronx Point New York to bring mission-aligned partners to help create the world's Hip Hop Museum to enjoy, both IRL and virtually, everywhere. From archives and artifacts, to education, history and giving Respect to music pioneers from the past almost 50 years, #UHHM will be a very special place.