​Melissa Marasco is a distinguished global communications strategist with almost 20 years of experience partnering with C-suite executives at Amazon, Intuit, LinkedIn, Nestlé, Cisco, Lyft, and category-defining startups. Her expertise spans corporate communications, executive positioning, crisis management, and brand storytelling, with recognition as a PR Top Pro, SABRE Award winner, PRSA Bronze Award recipient, and finalist for 2026 PR Week "Consumer Campaign of the Year."

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Currently serving as Director of Product and Brand Communications at Lyft, Melissa orchestrates earned and owned media strategies for the company's entire product portfolio, including autonomous vehicles, rideshare innovations, and strategic partnerships. She leads an org focused on earned and owned storytelling to drive transformative initiatives that position Lyft at the forefront of mobility innovation.

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Distinguished Career Achievements

Lyft: Directing product and brand communications across the entire portfolio—rideshare, autonomous vehicles, and strategic partnerships. Launched United Airlines MileagePlus partnership generating tier-1 media coverage. Led communications for AV partnerships, driving stock price gains and positioning Lyft as global autonomous vehicle leader. Architected "Check Lyft" brand campaign messaging, transforming app functionality into cultural vernacular. Orchestrated multi-partner communications for DoorDash and Alaska Airlines while managing crisis response and building scalable processes. Finalist for 2026 PR Week "Consumer Campaign of the Year" for Lyft Silver campaign. 
 

Guardant Health: Led the company's strategic repositioning from precision oncology to smart liquid biopsy platform, spearheading brand strategy and creative concepts. Drove PR for the first blood-based CRC screening test and managed litigation communications for one of the biggest false advertising settlements in history. Served as interim head of employee communications while leading corporate marketing and PR initiatives.
 

Zoox (Amazon): Spearheaded the company's public launch out of stealth mode, generating over 8 billion media impressions and earning PRSA Bronze Anvil and SABRE Finalist awards. Managed incident response, community outreach, public affairs, and tech PR while building go-to-market positioning. Secured sit-down interview with Emily Chang, hosted demo day at manufacturing facility, created and led policy communications campaign to update motor vehicle code and educate on FMVSS exemptions. Program managed CES experiential campaign and built team from 1 to 6 with agency partners.
 

Intuit: Orchestrated transformation from financial services to leading FinTech innovator, representing CTO and her organization of 4,000 engineers. Drove Intuit Aid Assist launch and global PR programs across India, Israel, and Brazil. Led company's GDPR communications plan with privacy team, supported multiple acquisitions, and hosted demo days for innovations.
 

Duarte: Drove change management plan for Lufthansa, wrote a TED talk for NYT best-selling author, created PR plan for LinkedIn's acquisition by Microsoft, and led communications support for Cisco Live, Apple's WWDC, and more.
 

Nestlé Nutrition: Managed celebrity campaigns with Mariah Carey, Valerie Bertinelli, and Carrie Fisher, achieving Top Diet recognition in Consumer Reports and securing multiple People Magazine cover stories. Campaign managed award-winning Communities Take Root campaign, WONKA ice cream food truck tour, and Skinny Cow "Dirty Dancing" activation.

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Strategic Excellence Across Industries

Throughout her career, Melissa has delivered exceptional results for some of the world's most respected brands, including Coca-Cola, Boeing, Procter & Gamble, Yahoo, and Lufthansa. Her strategic communications expertise extends to managing reputation crises, developing and executing change management strategies, and advising on corporate rebrands.
 

Psychology-Driven Approach

What distinguishes Melissa is her psychology-inspired approach to communications. By leveraging behavioral economics and consumer psychology principles, she crafts narratives that don't just inform—they inspire action and drive measurable business results. This distinctive methodology enables her to:

• Transform complex AI and autonomous vehicle technology into accessible mainstream narratives.
• Build crisis communications playbooks that protect and enhance brand reputation.
• Create storytelling frameworks that connect technology innovations to human needs.
• Develop executive thought leadership platforms that shape industry conversations.

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A dynamic and results-oriented leader, Melissa is passionate about developing impactful communications strategies that drive brand growth, strengthen organizational culture, and build long-term relationships with key stakeholders. She continues to push the boundaries of strategic communications, proving that the most powerful narratives combine psychological insight with business acumen to create lasting impact.

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Talk soon!