Marissa earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. At work, she can chop any project down to size
Marissa Gordon
When it comes to internal communication, Marissa Gordon doesn’t believe in sugarcoating. “I’ve seen employees get disengaged, and leaders lose credibility,” she said. “Keep it straight, and at least people respect your honesty.
Marissa got her start in communications at eBay, working as a college intern in the corporate internal communications function. As soon as her employers realized how capable she was, they started bidding for her services and – after she graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Public Relations – ended up hiring her as an Employee Communications Specialist.
In this capacity, she served as a project manager on eBay’s Great Place to Work application, which in 2008 ranked 68th in the nation on Fortune’s list of the top 100 (the online auction company boasts perks like golf lessons, onsite bike repair, and – for those especially stressful days – meditation rooms).
In addition to this project, Marissa worked on a variety of other endeavors – drafting articles for the company’s intranet, developing collaborative online worksites, assisting with HR communications and the holiday giving campaign, among others.
While working at eBay, she collaborated with a dynamic consulting company called ROI Communication, and when her eBay contract expired in 2009, decided to join the ROI team. “It was a perfect transition, because I love internal communication, and I enjoy working on projects from beginning to end,” she said.