A strategic communicator who leads with clarity, craft, and results.

I'm Marissa Elder, Director of Communications and Donor Experience at the University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business. I lead the college's strategic communications for advancement and engagement — advising senior leadership, shaping executive messaging, and building cohesive, multi-channel strategies that elevate institutional priorities and strengthen stakeholder relationships.

What sets my work apart is range. Before higher education, I led marketing inside a highly regulated financial services company and directed brand and demand generation across multi-market real estate and a national homebuilder's regional division. That background taught me to tie communications to revenue, results, and brand discipline — and to translate complex initiatives into clear narratives for any audience, from students to boards to corporate partners.

I believe communications is a leadership function. Done well, it doesn't just describe the work — it advances it.