‘Know your worth’: style CEO coaches advocacy

By Jake Tiger

Melissa Tenzer asked for her daughter’s opinion when putting together her outfit for the night, which was a bit of a role reversal for the self-proclaimed fashionista. She wanted to make sure she had something that said “confidence” in a way that would resonate with a younger generation of women leaders.

She assembled a lively and professional look fit for a CEO, preparing to offer wisdom to the Rider community: a black dress accented with bold, pink lilies; earrings with dangling, metallic flower petals; and powerful black stilettos that brought the whole outfit together.

Tenzer, CEO of Dress for Success Central New Jersey, has helped countless clients get spiffy before a big job interview, giving them the style and swagger they need to succeed. Her March 6 event with Rider’s Gail Bierenbaum Leadership Council, however, was less about how to style a blazer, and more about how to be a trailblazer.

‘Know your worth’

The night’s topic was self-advocacy, and looking out from her podium at the dozens of young women in the NJM Room, she demanded of them, “know your worth.”

Each year, the GBLC chooses a theme, and it chose advocacy for the 2024-25 school year — something especially relevant for today’s women leaders, as recent federal actions have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion, and the identity-based hiring practices it promotes.

Last summer, the GBLC underwent a major change, axing the word “women” from its name, website and social media footprint after a complaint from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, claiming the group was being discriminatory by offering scholarships and resources while only being open to women.

As a result, the council will open its application process to everyone going forward, regardless of their gender.

GBLC Director Kim Barberich declined to answer questions about the complaint.

Tenzer is a Rider alum, graduating from the defunct College of Continuing Studies with a marketing degree. She declined to say the year she graduated.

In an interview with The Rider News after her event, Tenzer said, “With some of the DEI initiatives being washed away and women really needing to fight for their spot, I really don’t want Dress for Success to get lost.”

Dress for Success is a global nonprofit that supports “unemployed and underemployed women,” according to its website, and has resources in 20 different countries.

Most of Dress for Success’ clothes are brand new, donated by retailers and designers, Tenzer said, which gives people even more confidence in what they’re wearing. They aren’t walking into an interview wearing the pilly vests and second-hand slacks one might find at a thrift store; the clothes belong to them.

“Dress for Success starts with the clothing. Being in this field, I’m an expert on what makes a woman feel confident in what they’re wearing,” Tenzer said.

While the organization does offer professional attire, it is “more than just clothes,” according to Tenzer, as the organization also offers job hopefuls a whole workshop of professional tools: help with resumes and cover letters, interview prep, lessons on self-advocacy and social media do’s and don’ts.

Barberich said, “Helping people is just so important. … A lot of what she said is just really powerful.”

Like Tenzer, Barberich also considered herself a fashionista; her first jobs out of college were as a buyer for Bloomingdale’s and Tiffany, curating the perfect selection for stylish shoppers. Barberich, sporting a clean, all-black, professional look, said her personal style has grown more “conservative and minimal” with age.

Fighting for fairness

After a 10-minute presentation, Tenzer and her colleague, Nancy Musco, a director at Dress for Success, sat down in two red, cushy lounge chairs at the front of the room for a fireside chat, where Tenzer answered questions from Musco and attendees.

The most prevalent theme in Tenzer’s hour-long event was knowing one’s professional worth, and fighting for equal and fair wages in the workplace. 

Junior English major Brooke Foster, a member of the leadership council, said Tenzer’s talk taught her to “never take the first answer” from employers, with Tenzer having advocated for herself and her women coworkers on multiple occasions.

While working as a human resources adviser for a nonprofit, Tenzer did a salary survey and found that the men were making “much more” than the women, she said during the fireside chat. The women’s salaries were boosted to make them equal to the men.

Data published by the Pew Research Center on March 4 found that American women on average made 85% of what men made in 2024—a 2% increase from 2023. But, the gap remains vast, and it was something Tenzer encouraged young women to be cognizant of as they entered the workforce.

Tenzer said, while it can be tempting for eager college students to take the first job offer they receive, it’s important to practice self-advocacy from the start and fight for what you’re worth.

Foster said, “Advocacy is something I’m passionate about. … With everything that’s going on, we need to be able to feel confident, feel empowered, go for the positions we want even if it’s what society thinks isn’t the best for us.”

Sports Editor Kadie DiGiuseppe, Social Media Editor Kaitlyn Seawood and Copy Editor Brianna Velazquez are members of the Gail Biernbaum Leadership Council. They had no part in the writing, editing or reporting of this story.