Melissa Marcello Email & Phone Number

Surry, Me, Us

Surry, Maine, United States

For 12 years, I ran the boutique marketing, research, and communication strategy firm, Pursuant, Inc., in Washington, DC. At Pursuant, we worked with top-tier agencies and end clients to solve some of the biggest communication challenges in nutrition, healthcare, education, and government. Our work was award-winning, we moved hearts and minds, and our clients were some of the smartest people we know. For the past 11 years, I've worked with a handful of Pursuant clients on issues research and messaging strategy, but my full-time job was leading two online higher education divisions in marketing, admissions, operations, and research. The work was fun, challenging, and highly successful. Epic growth, mission-driven people, and relationships I will forever cherish comes close to describing it. In the midst of the pandemic, I decided to revive the Pursuant brand with a focus on strategy. Thus, Pursuant Strategy! For a small number of hand-selected clients in higher education, healthcare, and government I help with:- social marketing campaign strategy & execution- capacity building for higher education organizations- brand positioning & strategy- thought leadership planning & execution- message strategy & testing- public opinion polls & qualitative research I partner with a handful of amazing organizations to deliver results when bringing more minds to the table would yield a better result for our clients. The work we do, which I like to refer to as "consulting for good," helps organizations imagine a brighter future, forge a plan for getting there, and even more importantly, achieve results.

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

United States

Burlington, Vermont

At Champlain College Online, I led the team that drove results for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs through truED, our workforce development program, and in the standard, individual market. This work was accomplished through a rebrand and positioning, amplifying thought leadership and earned media opportunities, utilizing smart digital, print, and broadcast marketing, trade conferences and events, managing responsive vendors, stewarding of our nonprofit resources, adding value to strategic partnerships, and the delivery of industry-relevant undergraduate and graduate programs to adult learners and the organizations that employ them.

Burlington, Vermont Area

When our VP left Champlain to pursue an opportunity elsewhere, I was tapped to take truED, our workforce development program, to the next level while continuing to own the marketing and sales of Champlain College Online. Working closely with internal stakeholders, the truED team, and truED alliances, we re-envisioned a model that would more effectively meet employers' needs. In addition, I was responsible for creating a new pricing strategy that would allow Champlain to grow and be competitive in the degree completion market which doubled our undergraduate enrollments.

Burlington, Vermont Area

As an award-winning marketer, strategist and PR professional, I proudly led a group of marketing and admissions professionals at Champlain College in a division that was focused solely on adult learners and the businesses that employed them. A member of the division's leadership team, I worked hard to ensure that our strategies and tactics were aligned with our organization's values.Since I arrived in October of 2014, while serving as a member of the Division's leadership team, I was instrumental in helping to craft a reorganization strategy and plan and swiftly launching it in order to help the organization quickly scale to accommodate a growing national audience of adult online learners. During this time, I led the team that launch nationally truED, a unique subscription-based higher education model, developed the truED sub-brand and created its national go-to market strategy as we launched our partnership with the federal government aimed at its more than 2.7 million federal civilian employees. In just a short few months we grew our lead generation efforts by 500%, saw spillover success due to national brand recognition in our cost per credit channel (traditional higher ed model), and in a year's time we tripled enrollments.

At US News Education, I wrote about the things I am passionate about: changing lives through online education and increased the thought leadership of Champlain College Online.

Northfield, Vermont

As Associate Dean of Enrollment Management, I oversaw the marketing, recruitment and admissions for 9 unique master'​s programs, 3 degree completion and 2 certificate programs. From program conception and development through enrollment, I led a talented team of higher education professionals to rebrand NU Online and create strategies that grew enrollments and revenue for Norwich University's College of Graduate and Continuing Studies.

I served as the brand strategist for Norwich University's online programs. In my first two years at the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies, I worked to transform the College's offerings into unique, differentiated and value-driven programs that stand out in the increasingly cluttered online degree marketplace. Through a new brand architecture and website driven by user research and usability testing, compelling messaging, and a cohesive strategy, we gained traction with alumni, current and prospective students and offering an experience that is meaningful and clearly represents the Norwich University Online brand. In addition, I worked closely with the Director of Business Partnerships to drive innovation and new programming opportunities forward that align with our brand strategy.

Washington, Dc And Randolph, Vt

As the founder of a boutique, privately held marketing and opinion research firm whose headquarters was in Washington, DC for 10 years, I worked with some of the most trusted brands in consumer packaged goods (i.e., Unilever, Ajinomoto, Quaker Oats, The Campbell Soup Co.), pharmaceuticals (i.e., Bayer, Pfizer, J&J), government (Dept.of Education, USDA, NIH, HHS), large membership organizations (i.e., American Dietetic Association, National Association of Social Workers, ACIP), non-profit health care organizations (i.e., Kaiser Permanente, NCQA, University of Vermont Health Network) to ensure their products met consumer demand, messages resonated, and brand promises were fulfilled with stakeholder groups. Using fresh approaches to drive situation analyses, innovative qualitative and quantitative research to uncover issues and opportunities, and creative solutions to produce solid strategies for clients, at Pursuant we helped organizations reach new markets, maintain and reinforce established relationships, grow their reputations and revenue.

Washington, Dc

I developed and taught graduate level coursework in this highly acclaimed Georgetown University master's program, including the "tools of the trade" to students eager to understand how organizations (be they associations, corporations, political parties, etc.) gained the hearts and minds of their constituents. This included polling, focus groups, message development, message testing, etc.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

As a volunteer docent, I gave tours of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to visitors. Highlights of the tour included the various theaters, the special reception rooms, the art collections and the presidential box.

As Vice President of Weber Shandwick's research company, I was responsible for new client acquisition, strategy and oversight. While in this role, I led major branding and market expansion projects for Dairy Management, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, University of Medicine and Dentristy of New Jersey, Major League Baseball, HP, Salvation Army, World Vision, Microsoft, Phrma, among many others.

As project director at the UWSC, I oversaw major research projects for the CDC (BRFSS), the VA, the State of Wisconsin, and academic researchers. The research was used largely to influence public policy. In addition I directed our UW Survey Center's national omnibus survey, WISCON, and was responsible for the UW's annual student survey.

While earning a MS in Sociology, I was a teaching assistant for undergraduate statistics and the Sociology of Law. In addition, I team taught a class of Social Problems with a full-time faculty member, as well as a short course in SPSS to honors undergraduate students.

West Lafayette, Indiana

At Purdue, I developed and taught an Introduction to Sociology course for engineers and business students.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

At IUPUI, I sharpened my qualitative and quantitative research skills while I assisted senior researchers on numerous projects related civic engagement and social networks in the Greater Indianapolis region funded by the Lily Foundation.

Atlanta Metropolitan Area

I worked with Prudential’s top agents who utilized life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, and other products to help meet a variety of clients’ needs. In my roles I provide a full range of marketing support.

Ms, Sociology

Activities and Societies: Alpha Kappa Delta (honor society), Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) graduate student paper.

Certificate, Focus Group Moderator Training

Completed focus group moderation training in the Greater Washington, DC Metro area.

Bs, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: History And Political Science

Activities and Societies: Honor SocietyWhile a student at USF, I received a merit scholarship to help defray the costs of an undergraduate.

On Leave Phd, Sociology, Survey Research

Received a full assistantship through the UW Survey Center that paid for the cost of my graduate education and provided a stipend.