Marissa Boles

Marissa considers herself to be a lifelong learner. She enjoys reading and spending time outdoors, but most importantly, she has a passion for learning about learning. Her educational background includes a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology and a Bachelor's Degree in Communications.

She has a thorough background in the events management industry and hospitality. She previously held a role at a conference center as an Events Planner, and there, she worked with clients with varying needs. In this role, she found a love for creative problem-solving and quickly learned how to work with customers, how to say no, and realized her limitations. She spent almost seven years in this role, which allowed her to earn a tremendous amount of learning and experience with organizational change and employee morale. In addition, she gained a personal insight into the necessity of leadership development and staff training to have good business practices. Marissa briefly left the conference center for an opportunity at a private higher education institution, where she was introduced to Organizational Psychology. She decided to pursue her graduate degree there. Marissa returned to the conference center as she finished her program, and when she graduated, she successfully obtained a position here at CSUSB.

Marissa shared that her previous roles have helped prepare her for working in higher education, providing service to various stakeholders who often may have competing needs. It helped her understand her community's needs and be creative and adaptable to achieve the intended outcome. Considering how higher education has undergone so many changes recently and will continue to evolve, she stressed the importance of being open to change and being willing to learn. She shared that "learning should be more of an experience, not a destination."

She recently celebrated five years with CSUSB this past November. She started her journey at CSUSB as the Learning & Development Coordinator in the Staff Development Center and, after a few years, was promoted to Learning & Development Specialist. In 2022, she accepted an offer to join the Risk Management department as the Risk Training & Learning Systems Specialist. She shared how she has enjoyed her experiences working with colleagues in various departments and has seen the shared dedication to student success.

As Marissa got acclimated to her role in Risk Management, it got her thinking about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you're unfamiliar with this model, it is an idea that an individual will reach enlightenment or achievement only when their basic and foundational needs are met. She likes to think of Risk Management, or safe practices in general, as a foundation that individuals don't overthink about but is critical to their success and well-being. With the fundamental cornerstones of these building blocks, it can become possible for us all to achieve our end goal: student success. She is excited about how her role allows her to help educate campus community members and promote safety culture and find ways to do so in an innovative manner.

When asked what her proudest accomplishment has been during her time at CSUSB, Marissa shared she was most proud to quickly navigate the Employee Development Days 2020 conference to a virtual experience due to the pandemic. She expressed how appreciative she is of every team member who went above and beyond to make the event happen for staff on campus during this time of transition where "people were just a little fatigued and needed some encouragement, and I think that conference was a good opportunity for folks who were just needing to feel connected to the campus community." In addition, Marissa chaired the planning committee that year, and it won the President's Staff Award in the Team Achievement category.

Her advice for those wanting to grow in their positions at CSUSB is simple: Take risks (within reason), put yourself out there, and advocate for yourself. She shared a quote on her wall that reads, "What got you here won't keep you here." She says it serves as her reminder that if she wants to be in a different situation or position, she will need to do something differently. She suggests individuals do something they've never done, whether that's making a connection, joining a committee, getting to know a colleague who works in an area of interest to you, "do something outside of your comfort zone by putting yourself in environments where opportunities exist that weren't there before." She also stressed that one's career journey would look different from anyone else's, and there is no definitive way to map out your journey without taking the time to get to know and learn about yourself.

When asked what paw print she wanted to leave at CSUSB, she responded, "above all, kindness and graciousness." She feels that everyone needs encouragement now and then, and she wants "to be the person that whenever someone asked me a question or reaches out to me that they receive a kind and gracious response. I want to say I was able to put myself out there to be held accountable, and ultimately, I want folks to feel like they can reach out to me."