Marissa Sharpless is the Vice President of Brand Marketing for Carvel, where she drives the brand’s marketing strategy across menu innovation, brand campaigns and digital engagement. In her role, Marissa leads efforts to strengthen Carvel’s iconic brand equity while fueling customer engagement and growth across the brand’s national footprint.
Marissa has built her career at the intersection of brand marketing, communications and digital strategy. Before stepping into her current role, she held several leadership positions within GoTo Foods that focused on advancing the company’s earned and social media strategies by amplifying brand campaigns and leveraging cultural moments to break through the cluttered media landscape. Recent roles include serving as Senior Director of Social Media and Partnerships, building the company’s first-ever global social media department supporting all seven brands, and Senior Director of PR and Social Media for Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon and Jamba.
Earlier in her career, Marissa held marketing and communications roles across entertainment, sports media and agency environments. She supported integrated marketing and promotional programs for major entertainment clients at Allied Integrated Marketing and gained foundational experience in brand storytelling, social media and media relations through roles at Walt Disney World Resort.
Marissa earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and digital communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two sons.
