The Ask for More Team
Alexandra Carter
Alexandra Carter is the Everett B. Birch Innovative Teaching Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School. In 2019, Professor Carter was awarded the Columbia University Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, Columbia’s highest teaching honor. Her first book, Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything, was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2020 and became an instant Wall Street Journal Business bestseller, the first negotiation book solo-authored by a woman to make that list.
Professor Carter’s teaching and research interests lie in the field of alternative dispute resolution, primarily in mediation and negotiation. She is a leading trainer on negotiation and mediation for many from the private and public sectors, including the United Nations, where she has conducted dozens of workshops for more than 80 nations, U.S. courts and federal agencies; private corporations, such as Google, Comcast NBCUniversal, New York Life, Bloomberg and Viacom; and law firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore, A&O Shearman, and Morrison & Foerster.
She has served on the New York State Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee commissioned by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee for the New York City Bar Association, and the Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee for the New York State Unified Court System. She is an admitted mediator for the Southern District of New York.
Prior to joining the Columbia faculty, Professor Carter was associated with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where she defended against a multibillion-dollar securities class action lawsuit related to the Enron collapse, served as the senior antitrust associate on several multibillion-dollar mergers, and handled cases involving copyright law. She also worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. She is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Taiwan.
Professor Carter received her Juris Doctor degree in 2003 from Columbia Law School, where she earned James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone academic honors. She also won the Jane Marks Murphy Prize for clinical advocacy and the Lawrence S. Greenbaum Prize for the best oral argument in the 2002 Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition. After earning her degree, Professor Carter clerked for the Hon. Mark L. Wolf, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston.
Professor Carter is a frequent media commentator on negotiation and pay equity for women, with appearances on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and MSNBC Live, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the CBS Early Show, and NPR Marketplace. She is a contributor for NBC News’ Know Your Value, a news site devoted to helping women grow in their careers and reach their full potential.
Professor Carter’s TEDx talk, entitled “How to ask for more – and get it,” was released in July 2024, designated as an Editor’s Pick and then promoted to TED.com, where it has been watched by more than half a million people worldwide.
Anne Marie Nest
Anne Marie Nest is a highly sought-after Executive Communications Coach. She works with professionals using the tools of high-level performance training to assist clients in embodying executive presence and becoming more effective and persuasive speakers. For over a decade, Anne Marie was a Professor of Voice & Speech at Research 1 institutions and top conservatories teaching both graduates and undergraduates a wide range of topics centering around public speaking, voice, and performance. Most recently, she completed mediation training through Columbia University and certified as an Ask for More presenter – expanding her expertise into the areas of negotiation and mediation. Professor Nest has delivered keynotes and workshops for the Fortune 500, AMLaw 200, and Research 1 Institutions.
Professor Nest’s extensive experience as a professional performer informs and enhances all her coaching and speaking. As a member of SAG/AFTRA and Actors Equity, she has performed in the best regional and off-Broadway theatres, as well as in many television shows and independent films.
Professor Nest received her Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in voice studies from the National Theatre Conservatory, and a BA summa cum laude in Communications from Chapman University. She is also a certified Co-Active Coach, Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and a trained mediator through Columbia University.
Samantha Adler
Samantha Adler is a conflict resolution expert with more than a decade of experience in training, consulting and mediation. She was trained in mediation by Alex Carter at Columbia Law School, where she went on to work as a supervisor in the Mediation Clinic.
Sam has worked for over a decade in the nonprofit and education space and has mediated hundreds of cases in Civil, Housing, Supreme and Family Courts, as well as community-based cases. Using this experience, she leads keynotes and workshops on an impressive array of topics in negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution and communication.
She runs two small businesses; Houseplant Concierge, helping plant parents like herself care for their plants and SEA Conflict Consulting, working with nonprofits and other businesses to resolve workplace conflict issues. She is a dog mom, competitive billiards player, and is learning figure skating and golf.
Her clients have included nonprofit organizations, local bar associations, law firms, women’s groups, education groups, courts, and political groups. Sam’s deep conflict resolution experience and her approachable style make her a natural fit for any organization that wants to negotiate better, resolve conflict and realize its mission.
Rebecca Martin
Rebecca Martin guides industry leaders to strengthen their communication skills and influence by aligning their message with body language and vocal techniques.
She offers one-on-one coaching virtually and in-person in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she leads teams at law firms, startups, and corporations through interactive workshops and group coaching programs.
Rebecca has worked as a professional actress, voice over artist, and director. She is a visiting professor of practice at Middlebury College. Rebecca received her master’s degree in acting from The National Theater Conservatory at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and is a graduate of Middlebury College. Rebecca has also studied Psychodrama and Gestalt Therapy at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
Brandi Bernoskie
Brandi Bernoskie is a digital strategist, website developer, and founder of Alchemy+Aim and North Star Sites, companies that help entrepreneurs and business owners elevate their online presence and enhance their digital experience.
Brandi’s academic background in theatre, philosophy, and physics was the perfect foundation for launching her business, where her team has worked with thought leaders like Brené Brown, Laverne Cox, Ali Brown, Judy Smith, Kate Northrup, and others since 2013.
Brandi is a natural connector and business matchmaker, who is always working to help others step into their genius work and leverage the expertise of those around them to achieve new levels of success and community along the way.
