Scarlet Knights For Life Staff

Carey Loch is in her first season as Associate Athletic Director for Student Athlete Development. Loch, who joined the Rutgers University staff in 1999, will play a key role overseeing all programming that supports student-athlete leadership development and strategic partnerships.

In her role with Athletics, Loch will oversee and create a comprehensive education and support program for student-athletes in areas such as academic growth, community service and career development. Loch will also be tasked with leveraging external resources that enrich the student-athlete experience and engage strategic partnerships to create unique opportunities for career development and community service.

Loch will also manage the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), serving as a liaison between SAAC and athletics administration. Additionally, she will maintain a relationship with the program’s Advisory Board, consisting of alumni and donors.

Prior to joining Athletics, Loch served as director of major events and programs within the Rutgers University Division of Student Affairs. She cultivated internship programs and student leadership trainings, emphasizing areas such as skill development, teambuilding, and event logistics. Loch established an extensive network of University and external contacts in her 20 years at Rutgers.

Loch oversaw a budget that provided funding for more than 150 events annually, reaching over 80,000 attendees. She established assessment strategies to measure and demonstrate program effectiveness, including the facilitation of student focus groups. Loch co-founded Rutgers Geek Week, a nationally recognized program of eight-10 annual events engaging 1,800 students each year. She also directed a new program component for New Student Orientation, serving approximately 7,000 first-year and transfer students each year and connecting them to campus involvement opportunities.

Loch arrived at Rutgers in 1999 working in the Department of Alumni Relations. She was promoted from alumni relations officer to coordinator of special events in 2003 and later was named associate director of special events in 2009 before joining Student Affairs. While serving with Alumni Relations, she planned and led all alumni engagement programs for the Scarlet Knights’ five bowl game appearances from 2005-09. Loch also directed and launched a new gala-style format for the Hall of Distinguished Alumni Awards and oversaw the Regional Club program consisting of more than 20 international and national Rutgers alumni clubs.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Loch earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in administration of justice and Masters of public administration. Loch and her husband Michael are proud parents to Tesla (a University of Kansas graduate), Colin (a college junior at her and Michael’s alma mater), and Brody (a freshman at Howell High School).

Kait Weiss has been integral to Rutgers University since joining the University Foundation in 2012. Over a decade in higher education, she has accumulated a wealth of experience in alumni relations, student affairs, and career development. Weiss excels in communications, marketing, and engagement strategies and has a strong background in program planning and operations.

Currently serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development and Success for Scarlet Knights For Life (SKFL), Weiss will apply her strategic communications and marketing insight to foster the career development of student-athletes. She is tasked with creating effective communication plans, leading content strategies, and branding for the SKFL office. She will also work to build professional development programs by cultivating relationships with students, alumni, staff, and community stakeholders to support student-athletes in achieving their post-graduation ambitions.

Before her current role, Weiss was the Associate Director for Strategic Outreach at Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Office of Career Exploration and Success. She led a team that implemented engagement strategies targeting students, alumni, employers, and campus partners. Weiss built department awareness through comprehensive marketing materials, event coordination, and collaborative initiatives. Her efforts were pivotal in the success of large-scale events such as career fairs and networking conferences.

Weiss’ contributions to the field have been recognized nationally as she was selected by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) to present a webinar on Marketing to Gen Z: Engagement Tactics and Strategies, and most recently selected to present Picture-Perfect: Strategies for Launching a University Headshot Booth at the NACE 2024 conference. Her leadership roles include serving as the Vice-Chair of Communications for the Hire Big10+ Career Consortium and Knowledge Community Chair for the Assessment, Technology, and Marketing committee. In 2023, the New Jersey Career Center Consortium (NJC3) honored her as the Practitioner of the Year.

Earlier in her career at Rutgers, Weiss was the Assistant Director for Marketing within the Division of Student Affairs, where she spearheaded an internship program producing marketing assets for various university departments. Her earlier tenure at the Rutgers University Foundation saw her managing large-scale multimedia projects, email marketing, and social media.

Weiss’s academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in film media from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in digital media from Rutgers’ School of Communication and Information. Born and raised in New Jersey and a native of New Brunswick, NJ, her father ran his own advertising agency for over 40 years, and as a result, communications, strategy, and creativity have always been at the forefront for Weiss. She now resides in East Windsor, NJ, with her husband, Bob, and son, Colton, and enjoys golfing, photography, and spending time at the Jersey shore.

Brett Miller comes to Rutgers University with a diverse background of experience that includes collegiate coaching, and corporate roles. Most recently, he was employed at Actalent (formerly Aerotek Scientific), a talent solutions firm that supports the science and engineering sector. His focus was to provide staffing support and insight to HealthCare clients such as RWJ Barnabas and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Prior to Actalent, Miller spent six years in the collegiate ranks as an assistant baseball coach. Miller started his coaching career at TCNJ as the Lions hitting coach and recruiting coordinator where he helped lead TCNJ to back-to-back 32-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2017), and a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship in 2017. Miller then spent one year at Monmouth serving as an assistant baseball coach, performing a variety of duties including, individualized practice plans and assisting in the development of student-athletes both on and off the field. Most recently, Miller was a member of the Frostburg State coaching staff in 2018-2020. While there, he supported the program’s transition from Division III to Division II baseball.

Miller, an outfielder on the York College (Pa.) baseball team, earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management in 2014 followed by a master’s degree in education from Frostburg State University in 2020. Miller currently resides in Roselle, New Jersey.

Charise Wilson has been an integral member of the Rutgers University community since joining the women’s basketball team in 2018 under the legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer. As a student-athlete, she balanced her academic pursuits, earning a master’s degree from Rutgers’ Graduate School of Education in 2020.

Wilson began her professional journey in education at Bay Shore Middle School in Long Island, New York, where she worked as an assistant teacher and mentored young female basketball players. Her passion for community service was evident through her involvement in initiatives like Enhancing Our Community Youth Development in Manhasset, New York, which supports at-risk youth and their families.

Currently, Wilson serves as the Director of Student-Athlete Development and Success for Scarlet Knights For Life (SKFL) at Rutgers. In this role, she draws on her expertise in strategic communications, operations, and her own experience as a former Scarlet Knight athlete to help student-athletes thrive professionally. She contributes to professional development programs and builds strong relationships with students, alumni, and staff to ensure student-athletes reach their post-graduation goals.

Prior to her current role, Wilson was the Big Ten Diversity Fellow at Rutgers, and gained valuable experience as an office coordinator with SKFL, sharpening her skills in operations. Additionally, she served as an Assistant Executive Director for the New Jersey IEC apprentice training center that helped developing electricians through apprenticeship, continuing education, professional networking, and advocacy. She was also a Director at iCode Bridgewater, an educational program that equips children with a strong foundation in computer science, creativity, leadership, and collaboration skills.

Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in Adult and Continuing Education from Rutgers’ Graduate School of Education. Originally from Long Island, New York, she now resides in New Jersey, and enjoys attending local sporting events.