My work lives at the intersection of brand, growth, and storytelling. For more than 20 years, I’ve helped organizations connect with audiences through thoughtful strategy, creative expression, and data-informed marketing across retail, eCommerce, media, and experience-driven brands.
References
“Melissa leads with clarity, energy, and a strong sense of purpose. I had the opportunity to report to her at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where I led the digital team, and I saw firsthand how effectively she aligns people around work that truly moves the needle. Melissa has many strengths, from sharp strategic instincts to operational rigor, but what stands out most is her focus on impact. She pushes teams to think beyond activity and concentrate on outcomes that meaningfully advance the organization. One of my biggest “green flags” about Melissa is that she genuinely understands digital. At the executive level, many marketing leaders come from traditional backgrounds and are less fluent in areas like cross-channel digital marketing, product development, AI, or interactive and experiential design. Melissa is not only fluent in these areas, she actively champions them. She consistently challenged our team to think more boldly about how audiences engage with cultural institutions and encouraged experimentation that pushed our work forward. Melissa also brings a rare balance of operational discipline and creative leadership. She builds the structures, priorities, and processes that allow teams to execute effectively while creating space for big ideas and thoughtful risk-taking. Just as importantly, she connects with colleagues across an organization on a genuine human level, whether discussing pop culture or sharing her own ceramics practice. That combination makes her an exceptional leader and a powerful advocate for modern, audience-centered marketing. I’m grateful I had the chance to work under her leadership and would gladly do so again.”
- Erin Fleming
Digital Strategy Leader for Museums + Cultural Institutions
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Melissa at Balfour, and she was one of the most diverse marketing leaders I have ever worked with: Melissa brings a very wide range of experiences that make her a key asset in this ever changing marketing world. She is always a problem solver and able to move quickly with changing priorities. The Ecom team could not have done their part without Melissa’s team. Beyond her marketing knowledge, she is an incredible team builder who knows how to foster talent and create a high-performing culture. Any organization would be lucky to have her leadership.”
- Eudora Choi
Director at Teamson Group
“I’ve heard Melissa refer to herself as a Swiss Army knife, and that feels accurate. She brings a wide range of tools to the table when it comes to solving marketing challenges, and she is especially strong at jumping into ambiguous situations and figuring out what needs to be done. Melissa is resourceful, fast to action, and comfortable working across strategy and execution. Whether she is developing a point of view, pressure-testing ideas, or moving work forward under tight timelines, she brings clarity and momentum to the process.”
- Jen Taylor
Growth & Digital Marketing Leader | AI & Audience Strategy
“Melissa is an innovative marketer and has excellent knowledge of building digital marketing infrastructure. During our time together she shined in building out an email process and paid media plans. She takes initiative to find solutions for scale: for example, we managed hundreds of independent rep marketing requests that required customization for schools so she found a solution to allow reps to self serve marketing materials with an online portal. Melissa is a very hard worker and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
- Jaclyn Cannon
CMO, Cady Studios
“Melissa is a savvy marketer with lots of tools in her toolbox. I supported her in the development of an A+E Networks e-mail program to improve effectiveness and engagement across our core brands. Throughout the project, she consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, effectively managing across multiple teams. She has been a great mentor, inspiring me to tackle new challenges. Melissa is pleasant, personable, and willing to work shoulder-to-shoulder with her team to do what it takes to get the job done. If anyone is considering working with Melissa, jump at it as you will never regret it.”
- Tish Sherwood
Marketing Production Professional
“Over the past 18 months, I have had a stellar experience working with Melissa at A+E Networks. She’s an incredibly competent, experienced, and energetic digital marketer who always seems to be on top of the latest trends and most effective strategic pathways to success. I was impressed by her ability to come into our organization and seamlessly enhance our processes and practices such as direct marketing, social media strategy and analytics/benchmarking systems. I believe she brings wisdom, positive energy, intentionality and follow-through to make teams better.”
- Kate Cook
AI Marketing Consultant
“Melissa consulted my startup on brand building and visual consistency. She offered insight from the perspective of a savvy marketing leader that bridged the gap between the business and the creative elements, and helped streamline communication in asset creation. Would gladly encourage other marketers to seek her perspectives on projects.”
- Dan Radin
CEO, Live Music Professional
“I had the privilege of working with Melissa for a little over two years and, during that time, she impressed me with her professionalism, leadership, and business acumen. She worked tirelessly to meet every deadline while paying attention to countless details and nuances of the task. I enjoyed working with Melissa because I knew that I was teaming with someone who gave it their all and brought a superior level of expertise and commitment to the job. It gives me great pleasure to recommend Melissa. She would be a great asset to any team or organization that she is lucky to be part of.”
-Jeevan Nair
Training and Development Professional
“Melissa is without a doubt one of the most effective marketing professionals I have worked with in the past 20 years. While many marketing people are skilled in a set of areas, Melissa has one of the most complete portfolios of experience and capability we've ever worked with.
Equally important, when she doesn't know something, she immediately sets out to talk with outside professionals to get a strong working knowledge of the subject matter.
In addition to broad knowledge of marketing tactics, Melissa also brings a strong strategic capability to her work, and is often been able to see the path ahead and align the marketing programs accordingly. I can't recommend her highly enough for any company seeking to gain an experienced and knowledgeable professional.”
-John Uppgren
Founder of techbarn.com
“As the managing director of marketing, Melissa handled my on-boarding and oversaw the day to day operations of the department I work in. She is informed & professional, always aiming to get the best out of those who work with her as she reaches for ambitious goals. For example, when the company needed me to learn a new program/skill, Melissa worked with upper management to quickly get me the tools I needed to learn the necessary programs for which I am grateful. This allowed me to take on more responsibilities & be a greater asset to the company. I have grown a lot under her supervision and have always found her to be direct and supportive without being abrasive or condescending. She encourages growth and expansion both in her department and in the individuals who work with her.”
-Matthew Cole
Senior Graphic Designer at American Achievement Corporation
“Melissa was a welcome addition to a website redesign/replatform project which I had just kick-offed. She brought insight, ideas and wisdom into the design and overall project management of the project. Melissa proved to be incredibly valuable managing an internal team of very selective users as well as providing c-level status demonstrations. Her participation in this project allowed my team to focus on the technical aspects and truly making this a successful project.”
-Steve Florko
Director, IT / Chief Privacy Officer at DC International
“I worked side-by-side with Melissa at BSN SPORTS and Melissa impressed me as one who could absorb any situation and in a few moments, clear away the clutter and get to the heart of any problem with a practical solution. She's hard-working, smart, and dedicated.”
-Paul Kruger
Vice President Internet/eCommerce at BSN SPORTS
“I had the extreme pleasure of working with Melissa at JC Penney corporate in various projects concerning Temporary and Permanent Pricing for their stores and internet planning.
Melissa is a valued team member of any project, bringing her experience, knowledge, and great questions to any meeting. Melissa is someone you can count on to get the job done correctly and in a timely fashion.
I miss working with her and would welcome any opportunity to work with her in the future.”
-Jeff Johnson
Project Manager at LexisNexis Risk Solutions
“Melissa Gosling is someone you can rely on to get the job done. She has a contagious enthusiasm for whatever project she is working on. She is seen as a leader to her peers and a confidant “go-to” person for guidance. She would be an asset to any organization.”
- Roxanne Doelling
Management Executive
“Melissa is hands-down the best marketing manager I have worked with in a cross-functional capacity. I learned a great amount working beside her as she skillfully created content to help the buying unit deliver profitble messages. Melissa has a solid, balanced understanding of both the creative and financial aspects of driving results in a business. She embodies the characteristics needed in a strong manager within a marketing organization: creativity, leadership, ingenuity, strategy savvy, fairness, and the ability to build strong working relationships with partners inside and outside of the business. She would be an amazing assest to any team.”
-Adam Godfrey
Category Manager, 7-11
“I worked with Melissa at jcpenney. She is an intelligent, business minded individual with an eye for detail. Melissa was always a great partner and could be counted on anytime your team needed her to step up and take charge. She was comfortable working outside of the box to come up with creative solutions to resolve issues or remove roadblocks. I would recommend her to any company that was looking for a sharp, detail-oriented professional that focuses on delivering the highest quality of work.”
-Bob Possehl
Enterprise Merchandise Planning Manager at JCPenney
“Great attitude, a real “go to” person when things get stressful. Someone that can think outside the box to deliver and meet company objectives. Bottom line, if it’s my own business I want her on my team!”
-Alan Noblitt
Omni Buyer- Overseeing Truck, Tool, Hardware and Sporting Goods Division at Tractor Supply Company
“Melissa is a strong, dedicated leader. She is always looking for a way to make the sure the job is done right the first time. She is approachable & open to new ideas that will improve the process to get the job done.”
-Jill Mayer
Purchasing Agent at Prestige Maintenance USA
“Melissa is an exceptional manager and adept marketer. She displayed mastery of her area of responsibility and demonstrated the rare ability to balance corporate motivations with consumer desire. She has a tremendous feel for consumer behavior and the business realities of retail.”
-John DeLuna, MBA
Vice President of Marketing at AEG Vision
“Melissa is a strong, innovative and creative asset to the team, she always found the best possible solution for the company.”
-Billie Farrow
Proprietor at My Little Violet
“Melissa is a detail-oriented marketing superstar! She has a great sense of style and a good eye for color that motivated the creatives and benefitted the Jacuzzi bath division. Her management style is both firm and easy-going which made coming to work a great experience.”
-Paul Davis
Sr. Art Director at Warren Douglas Advertising
“When I worked with Melissa, she managed Toto's marketing collateral needs effortlessly. She was very detail oriented and responsive, providing information before it was needed and anticipating what would keep the production process moving smoothly. She was extremely helpful, professional and a pleasure to work with.”
-Mary Ann DeMuth
Editor at Georgia Trend
“It was always a pleasure to work with Melissa. She did a fantastic job turning around the Jacuzzi brand, working in many different projects successfully and with very limited resources. Melissa is a great marketing leader and a great match for any leading company.”
-Roger Müller
Chief Procurement Officer
“Melissa excelled at her role at Jacuzzi with fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and extreme dedication. Even with great challenges and limited resources, Melissa was able to successfully develop creative marketing solutions consistently and reliably....and somehow managed to make it look easy and fun! I would recommend Melissa for any senior marketing or leadership role.”
-Kalpesh Nanji
Vice President, Group Strategic Marketing at Reliance Worldwide Corporation
“I find Melissa to be consistently pleasant, tackling all assignments with dedication and a smile. Besides being a joy to work with, Melissa is a take-charge person who is able to present creative ideas and communicate the benefits. She has successfully developed several marketing plans for our company that have resulted in increased revenue. Though she was an asset to our marketing efforts, Melissa was also extraordinarily helpful in other areas of the company. In addition to coordinating effective Marketing campaigns, Melissa assumed a leadership role in sales meetings, industry shows, inspiring and motivating other employees.
I highly recommend Melissa, she is a team player and would make a great asset to any organization.”
-Maja Jankov
Product Manager at Duravit USA Inc.
“Melissa is an outstanding person and marketing professional. She managed or coordinated all key marketing programs at TOTO USA and was reliable, consistent and talented. I highly recommend her for any marketing role, and understand that she had considerably expanded responsibilities at Jacuzzi. Please feel at anytime to contact me anytime for a personal referral.”
-Newbold Warden
Director of Operations at Full Spectrum Technologies
“Melissa has a unique combination of marketing strengths. She can easily move from high-level strategic planning to design direction, budget analysis and program implementation...sometimes in the same meeting. Combined with her excellent organizational skills and work ethic, she would be a tremendous asset to any company seeking fresh marketing thinking and leadership.”
-Phil Caragol
Owner/Creative Director at Caragol Communications
“Melissa is a very intelligent, hard working marketing director. I worked with her for over three years and found her knowledge and marketing savvy to be excellent. She had to multi-task within an organization that had several changes at senior mgmt; something very challenging.
I enjoyed collaborating with Melissa to create successful tradeshows for Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath. I would hire her in a heart-beat to work for our organization.”
-Bob Corte
Account Executive at Impact Unlimited
“Melissa was a pleasure to work with at Jacuzzi. During periods of significant and stressful change at the Company she remained calm and collected, very supportive of her staff, always engaged at work, and was interested in seeking alternative ways to make work better. She was hard-working, strategic, and managed a difficult senior marketing job with few resources. I recommend Melissa for any senior marketing position. “
-Bill Cahill, MBA
Human Resources Professional
“I had the opportunity to work with Melissa at Toto USA. Melissa was responsible for putting together numerous marketing programs and promotions as well as coordination of our trade shows. Melissa is a tireless worker that gets the job done on time every time. A great asset to any company that is fortunate enough to have Melissa as a employee.”
-Ken Hans
Director of Sales at The New Concinnity Faucets
“I know Melissa to be a consummate professional. She is enthusiastic, meets short deadlines and tight budgets, delivers innovative solutions to complex problems, and makes it all look easy. Her expertise and wit make her a number one draft pick for any project team.”
-Mike Roberts
Innovation/Design Consultant
References from LinkedIn. To see the original referrals, click here