A Giving Woman Who Touched So Many Lives . . .

Our dear friend, Anne Sceia Klein was laid to rest today following a beautiful mass and memorial service in her home town of Hammonton, NJ. We've already written extensively about Anne but here are some heartfelt memories (as posted on LinkedIn) from Kim Nissen, a young woman who was mentored by Anne:

It’s times like this when words escape me. How do I begin to pay adequate tribute to such an influential person? I’ll try my best.

“ASK” was my first boss out of college. We met during my early years at Rowan University. Mentoring students was one of her many passions and our paths crossed often as I was actively involved in the Rowan PRSSA chapter she co-founded as the professional advisor.

I received a gold medallion for professionalism in Anne's name my senior year and she wasted no time recruiting me to work for her crisis and issues comms agency. While I thought I had wanted to take the city by storm doing consumer PR, anyone who knows ASK knows persuasion was among her top talents.

She didn't have to do much convincing though because Anne was a well-known trailblazer in the industry and to work for her was an honor.

Anne was a feminist in the best kind of way, always looking out for the women below her and cheering on others as they broke glass ceilings around her. She saw more in me than I saw in myself at times.

She was tough, but fair. Her standards for quality work and professionalism were incredibly high and she wasn’t afraid to let you know when you fell short of meeting them. But it was always constructive feedback for improvement and those standards stuck with me long after I left the firm to pursue my career in-house.

Anne was a fan of "work hard, play hard." She was incredibly charitable and generous with her time, and particularly fond of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women efforts.

But most of all, I'll always remember Anne's love of family (given or chosen) and the life lesson she bestowed on me as a young professional to know when it's time to set aside work to focus on what matters most in life.

During the time I worked for Anne, my grandmother was fighting a losing battle with colon cancer. This was before remote work was really a thing, but she allowed it to be so that I could spend more time with my grandmother during her final days.

It also is quite a coincidence that Anne shares my grandmother's birthday and this date randomly came up in a conversation with my mom just before I learned the news of Anne's death. A wink from heaven? I like to think so.

Thanks for all of the life lessons, ASK. You will be missed.💖