When Susan Rogers came to work for WXXI, it was the year that Bill Clinton was re-elected president, the Yankees won the World Series, and the PBS kids show, "Arthur," premiered.
After 29 years of service, the executive vice president and general manager is retiring at the end of the month.
Rogers, 72, came to the station in 1996 after a 16-year stint at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she was involved in educational technology.
Children’s programming has always been an important part of public media, and a key focus at WXXI. Rogers said that she was motivated to help enhance educational tools and technology for Rochester-area families.
“It cost a lot of money (attending a university like RIT), and coming to WXXI meant I could help everybody in the community, even the smallest children or people trying to learn English, or others, and at the same time, I could do it for free,” Rogers said.
Former longtime WXXI President and CEO Norm Silverstein, who retired last year, said Rogers is recognized nationally for her work in public media.
“I think that she's done a really good job for public media, not only in Rochester, but across the country,” Silverstein said. “She served on many, many committees and people frequently turn to her for advice.”
Silverstein noted that Rogers worked closely with him on the efforts to acquire both The Little Theatre and CITY Magazine. He said Rogers was already on the board of The Little when the opportunity for the merger with that historic theater came up. He recalled that Rogers “came into my office, and she was actually pretty agitated (about the need to help the theater survive and thrive)."
“She said, you know, everything The Little needs, help in administration, help in going digital, help in raising funds. (Rogers) said, ‘Those are all things we're really good at. Would you consider a merger?’”
Silverstein said he decided it was time to look at the potential joining of the two cultural institutions, and he brought the idea to WXXI’s board of trustees, which eventually moved ahead with the plan. He added that Rogers “was probably The Little’s biggest advocate.”
Current WXXI President and CEO Chris Hastings called Rogers' history with the organization "remarkable."
"Her vision and leadership over nearly three decades have shaped this organization in ways that will resonate for generations. As someone new to WXXI and to Rochester, I have been deeply grateful for Sue’s guidance," Hastings said. “She has helped me connect not only with the history of this institution but also with the spirit of the community it serves. Her steady hand has made it possible for me to step into this role with confidence, knowing that I am building on a foundation she helped create.”
WXXI Vice President of Education and Interactive Services Marion French has been with the organization for nearly as long as Rogers. She said Rogers has been a leader who helped develop solid working relationships among the staff.
“You know, willing to pull people together, or pull people in, or partners that you might not know but she knows, she introduces you to,” French said. “And then, even though she's detail-oriented, she's not a micromanager, she is glad to have the staff take on the responsibility and go with the project.”
Rogers said that even with the recent sweeping federal budget cuts affecting public media, WXXI is poised to continue finding innovative ways of serving the community.
“I view WXXI as positioned perfectly to reinvent itself without federal funding, to make a big difference and continue to maybe even be more important to this community than it has been in the past,” she said. “I think the system itself is going to have to go through some very difficult times.”
Rogers, who plans to continue living in Rochester after she retires, said she is pleased that WXXI in some way or another touches every single person in the community. She is already on the boards of some local organizations, and wants to make sure “that we work together to make this community better.”
She hopes to be among those who are “boots on the ground” talking about what the Rochester community needs.
