Empowerment Series: Marissa Solis, Senior Vice President, Global Brand & Consumer Marketing for the NFL on Power, Pivots, and Leading Marketing for the NFL

Marissa Solis didn’t set out to be one of the most powerful Latinas in the National Football League. She didn’t study marketing. She wasn’t trained in branding. She once dreamed of becoming an ambassador. But as life often does, the path planned cracked wide open—and something extraordinary came through.

Her story begins in the Rio Grande Valley, where she arrived at age ten after immigrating from Mexico with her family. She didn’t speak English, and her world was uncertain. But within that ambiguity lived a fire that would quietly fuel her journey for decades that followed.

She earned a scholarship to Georgetown and pursued a career in foreign service. It all seemed perfectly mapped—until serendipity took over. She pivoted into a marketing role at Procter & Gamble, launching her into a corporate world she never imagined for herself. But as she puts it, “Serendipity is beautiful—but you have to know how to harvest it.”

For the next 18 years, Marissa rose the ranks at PepsiCo, eventually creating the company’s Hispanic business unit and leading iconic cultural campaigns, including the “Deja Tu Huella” movement with Bad Bunny. At one point, she thought she’d retire there. Then came another unexpected call—this time, from the NFL.

Today, as the league’s Senior Vice President of Global Brand and Consumer Marketing, Marissa oversees major partnerships, social strategy, and community engagement. But power, for her, has never been about title. It’s about presence and purpose.

Marissa’s leadership style is deeply rooted in her upbringing. Her parents owned restaurants, and she did every job—host, waitress, dishwasher. “My father used to say, ‘Every job is important.’ That stayed with me. I’ve walked into boardrooms with that same respect for people and humility.” And in a world where executive spaces often reward arrogance, Marissa brings something different: heart.

That doesn’t mean her journey has been easy. At just 21, in one of her first meetings with an ad agency, she was mistaken for an assistant and told to grab coffee while the “men handled business.” In that moment, her heart pounded. She was the youngest in the room. She hadn’t studied marketing. She could have stayed quiet. But instead, she stood tall and took a seat at the table—literally and metaphorically. “That moment taught me that no one was going to hand anything to me. I had to claim it.”

Still, she refuses to play by outdated rules. Early in her career, she was told to be “ruthless” if she wanted to succeed. But that never sat right with her. “I was raised to lead with humility and treat people with respect. You don’t have to lose yourself to win.” And she hasn’t. Whether mentoring young women, leading Super Bowl campaigns, or reminding her daughter that everything will be okay, Marissa leads with quiet confidence that can’t be faked. It’s been shaped over the years, sharpened by adversity, and supported by values that never waver.

That confidence is physical, too. In her 40s, Marissa became a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo. What started as a hobby quickly became a spiritual and emotional practice. “People think a black belt means you’ve arrived. But really, it’s the beginning. It’s about becoming 1% better every day.” It’s not hard to see how that discipline bleeds into everything she does.

Super Bowl 2025 was a career milestone. Under her leadership, the league partnered with local New Orleans artists to create a game-day experience that was rich with soul, culture, and intention. A beaded Super Bowl logo handcrafted by a local Black woman. A campaign featuring girls in flag football. A national ad from Big Brothers Big Sisters that we’ll never forget. It was a reminder to the world: I am somebody. That campaign, Marissa says, still brings her to tears. “It’s that little voice that tells you you’re enough. You matter. That you belong.” And yes, she’s had to quiet that voice of doubt in herself, too. Even now.

I like to end interviews with a quote, mantra, or advice. Her mantra is a poem she discovered in high school—Invictus. The final lines live in her bones: “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”

Marissa is a master of the pivot. A captain in a league that wasn’t built for her, but now reflects her leadership. A woman who reminds us that success doesn’t always come from following the plan. Sometimes, it comes from breaking it.

And maybe, just maybe, from telling yourself: “It’s going to be okay.”

This episode of the AW Confidential Podcast is streaming on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Amazon Music.

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