Marissa Garza
Director of Operations | Business Operations Manager | Senior Project Manager | Program Director
I help organizations close the gap between what leadership intends and what's actually happening on the ground.
THE GAPThere's a gap that exists in almost every organization I've ever walked into.
Leadership has a vision. The team is working hard. And somehow . . . the two aren't quite connecting.
Decisions stall. Priorities compete. People work in parallel instead of together. The vision stays at the top while the execution gets stuck somewhere in the middle.
That gap is where I live.
For nineteen years I've been the person who finds it, names it, and builds the bridge — inside early childhood education, national nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, enterprise technology, and cultural institutions.
Different sectors. Same fundamental need: someone who can make the complex navigable, make the invisible visible, and make sure the people doing the work have what they actually need to do it well.
Based in greater Chicago. Open to collaborative organizations across sectors
WHAT I BRINGRoles
Getting clear on who is actually responsible for what — not what the org chart says, but what's really happening. Where are the gaps, overlaps, and silent handoffs that are creating confusion and slowing everything down?
Rules
Examining the invisible structures governing how decisions get made. Unspoken norms, inherited processes, assumptions nobody has questioned in years — made explicit so decision-making gets faster and ambiguity stops costing people energy.
Resources
Honestly assessing what the organization truly has to work with — people, time, tools, budget, capacity — and designing work around reality rather than hope.
When these three things align . . . effort drops, clarity increases, and teams stop spinning and start moving.
THE WORK
TESTIMONIALS
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"She has a unique talent for finding alignment even in the most challenging situations, skillfully guiding discussions toward consensus and shared goals . . . Her presence on our team was instrumental in maintaining a positive and collaborative work environment."
— Kari Moran, Program & Project Management Leader | managed Marissa directly at STRIVR
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"I really never had to worry about misalignment or missed details when Marissa was on one of my projects . . . It's rare to find someone who's so great at both managing projects and building strong relationships."
— Hala Keilany, Customer Success | worked alongside Marissa at STRIVR
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"She's freed up my mental capacity to think about revenue generating work . . . I now have a system and processes documented. She also is a great thought partner and asks clarifying questions that get to the heart of what you need to move forward."
— Garland Fuller, Talent & Culture Consultant | MGTV Systems Studio client
If any of this sounds familiar . . .
If you're leading an organization where the gap exists — where the vision is clear but execution keeps getting stuck — I'd genuinely love to have that conversation. Open for full-time, part-time, and fractional roles.