Marina lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband Ryan and two children.
Her career in marketing has afforded her opportunities to invest her experience in her passion points – communication strategy and cause, partnership and sports marketing.
As a NJCAA dual collegiate athlete and member of the Corps of Cadets, Marina received her Associate Degree from Georgia Military College and then went on to attain her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications while also participating on the Division III soccer team at the University of Pittsburgh.
Raised in Atlanta, she returned home after college and began her career in the agency marketing industry working with brands such as TBS, Cartoon Network, TLC, The Coca-Cola Company, DS Services of America (Crystal Springs / Costco, Athena Water and Standard Coffee), PGA of America, the Smithsonian Institution, Aaron’s and the Kroger Co.
Some of her career highlights (so far) have been: working with Grammy-award winner Amy Grant and American Idol star Kellie Pickler in a breast cancer cause partnership for a bottled water brand; developing a shopper marketing program with partners The Kroger Co., Mondelez International, The Coca-Cola Company and The Hershey’s Company integrating celebrity chefs Aaron Sánchez and Katie Lee at national events like the March Madness Final Four basketball tournament and the renowned South Beach Food & Wine Festival; developing a title ESPN bowl game sponsorship program for an entrepreneurial consumer package goods brand that supported the growth of product ecommerce sales by more than 70% YOY, an 8% increase in retail sales and also increased the brand’s consumer email database by 40%. In 2020, Marina took on her next venture with a natural gas marketer in Atlanta, and since has been fascinated by the strategies that drive success in a low interest, commodity industry like utility.
Marina welcomes each new marketing challenge to diversify and broaden her knowledge and experience, especially as media trends and platforms continue to evolve in how we reach and engage with consumers differently. One marketing principle remains the same – it’s about reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right place, at the right time. And, Marina’s personal marketing philosophy – a good marketing plan is like banana bread – there are staple ingredients that every banana bread recipe calls for, but there are also bonus (or x-factor) ingredients and formulas that can truly create something special and impactful.
Marina is honored to serve on the BJCSF Board of Directors, and is passionate in supporting initiatives to further awareness and impactfully communicate Bobby Jones CSF’s mission in continuing the search for a cure.