As director of public relations, Tessier has a wide variety of responsibilities. She oversees all media and community relations as well as the internet content of the team's website. She also works closely with publications and development. In addition, all media personnel who want an interview with a Redskins player, coach or someone in the front office must go through Tessier's office first.
Tessier travels everywhere the team goes and is the only woman on the team's airplane. This brings with it certain benefits. "I never have to carry any bags or open any doors," she said.
In a league of her own
As far as being a woman in a male-dominated profession, Tessier said she doesn't get that much attention. "I work for a place that is very forward-thinking," she said. "Our owner doesn't care that I am a woman. He just wants people to get the job done."
There are times however, when being a woman does become a slight issue. "The players don't love it when I come into the locker room. I have to bang on the door and scream that I am coming in. It's a fraternity, and you have to earn your right to be a part of that," she explained. "But if you treat people right, they are going to treat you right."
When new coach Marty Schottenheimer took over this season, Tessier was nervous that he might have a problem with her being young, as well as her being a woman. She approached him about this and said that if he did have a problem, she would prove to him that she was capable. "I think I was more worried about it than he was," she recalled. Schottenheimer had no objections to Tessier and was impressed with her confidence.
According to Tessier, working in the sports industry is just like any other business, in that one is selling a product. "It's not all glamour ... It's a seven-day-a-week job, and sometimes I have 20-hour days," she said. "You choose a lifestyle when you get involved in football."
For Tessier, there really is no off-season. She still has to handle all of the interviews from the media when the team is off the field. Every few weeks there are practices and all the players are there. Other big events include the draft, and bringing in free agents. She also works on many features and helps to produce a yearbook and a weekly newspaper.
There are obviously a number of perks that come with working in the sports industry. Tessier can go to any restaurant in Washington and get a seat. She gets to meet new and interesting people and travel all the time. "I get paid to watch football practices and games," she said. "Every guy in my class would probably die for this job, and some of the women in my class, too."
Preseason in Amherst
Tessier reflects on her days at Amherst with great fondness. She loved being able to get to know professors and faculty so well, not to mention all the new friends she met. "Amherst is where I grew up," she said. "I miss having all my friends right down the hall."
She also said that she misses going to Valentine, or the "social Mecca," as she referred to it, and scoping everyone out. She laughs that the joke she and her friends used to have about Valentine was, "You don't eat until you're full, you eat until you're sick."
Tessier, an American studies major, was a member of both the golf and the ski teams. She was also class president her senior year. At Amherst, she said, "You get to try things that you wouldn't dare to or have the opportunity to at a big school."
During her sophomore year, Tessier struggled academically. Dean of Students Ben Lieber was her academic advisor, and she credits him for getting her out of this rut. "He made me who I am and gave me so much confidence," she said. "That got me set in the right direction."
Tessier learned to thrive in Amherst's academic environment. "You are competitive with yourself because you are surrounded by motivation," she said. "You are embarrassed not to work hard. The motivation has carried over. We are all probably workaholics, and we always say that's because we went to a great college, with great mentors and great professors."
This attitude has stayed with Tessier, who said that more than anything else, she has gained confidence from her position with the Redskins. "You have to stand up for yourself around league officials, players and coaches," she explained. "You have to learn to stand up for what you believe in ... You have to tell people what to do, and it's a lot of pressure. You learn you are pretty good at what you do. [This job] has put me into situations where you have to sink or swim, and you learn to swim."