About
“Organized chaos” is how Rosie Selle ’06, Carroll graduate and Vice President of Marketing for Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, would describe a typical day of work. Home to the NHL Kraken, the Climate Pledge Arena is a sport and event venue that can seat more than 18,000 people at a time. Rosie’s job is to ensure that each one of these audience members enjoys their time at the arena and has an unforgettable experience.
Originally from Belgrade, Montana, Rosie tackled several areas of study during her time at Carroll. She majored in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing, Finance, and International Business, as well as a minor in French. She credits Carroll’s rigorous academics, especially courses taught by Professor Beth Wilson, for pushing her to think critically and to problem solve creatively. “[Carroll’s] liberal arts education has helped me contextualize information to problem solve, which has been very helpful in my career,” Rosie says.
Two years after graduation, Rosie went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Sports Administration and Leadership from Seattle University. “I came out of Carroll and knew I wanted to do something in sports marketing,” Rosie remembers. After working in the finance and sporting commissions fields, Rosie’s attention was caught by live events. She was intrigued by the experience of watching thousands of people celebrating at once, and she knew that this was a career that she had to be involved in.
Before she knew it, Rosie was leading a team in marketing at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, where she creates content specifically tailored to the arena’s diverse audiences. On a typical day, you might find Rosie leading promotional campaigns for media, meeting with creative teams, writing scripts, or shooting videos. “Every day is different, and I’m never bored!” Rosie says. And although she started her career in the sports marketing industry, Rosie says that live music events are what she enjoys most now. “So many artists come through our venue, even Lady Gaga, which is always exciting!” says Rosie. She also adds that her primary job is to take care of her customers. “Making sure people are having a great experience and life-changing moments is the backbone of this job. I have to make sure that this many people who come through the venue at once are enjoying their experience, which can be hard given the sheer amount of people who come through here at once,” Rosie states.
At Climate Pledge Arena, event dates are set in stone, meaning that procrastination isn’t an option. “You have to be good at compartmentalizing,” Rosie says. Along with the need to stay on top of due dates, Rosie’s job includes reaching out to tens of thousands of potential audience members in ways that are tailored specifically to them. “It’s like a puzzle, figuring out how to reach certain audiences with certain tactics, since audiences are so different,” Rosie reflects. “My team can have many back-to-back events, and putting the process in place and helping people feel like it's just for them is very worthwhile.”
Rosie encounters many challenges in her career, and she credits her Carroll education for helping her develop the skills she needs for success, including effective communication, which she relies on on a daily basis. “Especially with current technology, effective communication is a dying art today, in my opinion,” Rosie laments. A mindset of continuous curiosity and “thinking outside of the box” is another characteristic that Rosie says has been cultivated by Carroll. “People go on to do great things no matter the degree, so staying curious is something I still use in life now to do things in different ways,” Rosie explains.
Rosie’s time as a Carroll student-athlete on the volleyball team also contributed to her current career success. “Being able to participate on a team like that and have that team camaraderie and build those team skills, which I now do to a varying degree in my profession, has been impactful in my current career,” Rosie states.
Rosie looks back fondly on her days at Carroll in other aspects besides the great education it gave her. Some of her favorite memories include participating in softball weekend and sliding down Guad Hill during those unpredictable Montana winters. “I have a distinct memory of doing that, when it was seventy degrees out, right after it had been snowy the previous day, and people around me had sunburns and were wearing mittens!” Rosie recalls with a laugh.
When offering advice to Carroll students and alumni, Rosie emphasizes balance, curiosity and purpose. She encourages finding an activity that lets you unwind and disconnect. Rosie’s own activity of choice is knitting. “It’s a creative, yet mindless activity that helps get me off my phone,” Rosie says. To students in particular, Rosie advises that they use their education to make the world a better place, and not to limit themselves to how they do this, because it can look quite different for different people. “For me, that looks like providing a place for people to have good experiences and make lifelong memories. So remain curious, and keep your eyes open,” Rosie recommends.
Through the ups and the downs of Rosie Selle’s remarkable career, Carroll College remains an important part of her journey. “Carroll is a special place, and I hope that people who are there now, as well as alumni, remember that, because it’s not like many other places,” Rosie concludes.
