WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Krista CEO
Mayor , City of Roseville / Founder and , MarketSharePR by Sena Christian
Bernasconi
Krista Bernasconi ’ s entrance into mayorship began with taps on the shoulder . The Roseville resident already knew about public service , having spent eight years on the Roseville City School District board of education and then another eight years on the city ’ s planning commission . Long before that , she served for two years in the U . S . Navy while based in Jacksonville , Florida .
Others saw potential in Bernasconi as a Roseville City Council member , which hadn ’ t seriously crossed her mind until those words of encouragement from other community members suggesting she run . So Bernasconi entered the race and was elected in November 2018 . She ’ s now in her second year as mayor , leading a government workforce of about 1,000 employees and a city of nearly 150,000 residents during an unprecedented time .
Bernasconi ’ s council duties add to a long list of other professional responsibilities attached to her role as CEO of MarketSharePR , a public relations firm she founded in 2012 to provide branding , messaging and communication services to private companies and nonprofit organizations . “ One of my favorite sayings is ‘ consistency compounds .’ Hard work creates momentum ,” says Bernasconi , who earned a degree in liberal studies from Sacramento State and left a corporate job at SureWest Communications a decade ago to pursue her entrepreneurship dreams .
MarketShare has grown from a sole proprietorship to a team of six employees . “ You forgo a steady paycheck and that 401 ( k ) and vacation time . But I think on the other side of that is where the sweet spot is ; it makes me work . It makes me work harder ,” Bernasconi says of owning her business . “ I know I ’ m not defined by somebody else ’ s expectations in the workplace . I create those myself .”
Being a small-business owner isn ’ t without challenges , Bernasconi says , which she understands from watching the experience of her parents , who owned the TreeHouse toy store in the Roseville Square shopping center in the 1970s and ’ 80s . Her mother also owned Nice Twice , a consignment store on Vernon Street when downtown was full of antique shops , for 35 years .
“ Nobody outworked my parents , and that kind of goes down to me too ,” Bernasconi says . “ I don ’ t stop when I ’ m tired . I stop when the work is done . It ’ s a blessing and a curse . I really feel passionate about public service , and serving the community , and running the team and trying to do this all .”
As a council member , Bernasconi says she ’ s proud of how the city has assisted businesses during COVID-19 , giving away more than $ 1 million worth of small-business grants from federal relief funds . Another moment of pride for Bernasconi as mayor was her role in organizing an event at the Civic Center to honor U . S . Marine Corps Sgt . Nicole Gee , a Roseville native who was killed in an attack at Kabul ’ s airport in September 2021 .
As for MarketSharePR , the pandemic created even more demand for the firm ’ s services from groups needing effective messaging and communication . Nonprofits have also needed
“ Practice an abundance mentality in that somebody else ’ s successes do not take away from yours at all .”
more assistance in getting the word out about fundraisers , Bernasconi says , pointing to her firm ’ s work with the Me-One Foundation , which helps adult cancer patients and their families . The firm handled messaging and collateral to improve fundraising efforts ; a recent fundraiser generated $ 100,000 for the local organization .
“ There are times that I feel incredibly spread thin , like with my family , or with work or with council responsibilities ,” says Bernasconi , who has 14-year-old twins . “ During this window of my life where I have the time and energy and desire to want to work really hard , I ’ m going to do it and I have the full support from everyone in my life . But at the end of the day , it ’ s still on me , right ? I ’ m still the one that ’ s got to get the work done .”
Sena Christian is the former editor of Comstock ’ s and now an independent journalist in Sacramento . Read more at www . senachristian . com . On Twitter @ SenaCChristian .
56 comstocksmag . com | March 2022