Marissa Gecse (Graziano)

Marissa Gecse (Graziano) graduated from Michigan Tech in 2016 with her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in manufacturing. She later completed the Ford and Wayne State University Engineering Management Master’s Program—a highly competitive master’s program uniquely structured for Ford engineers with high potential on the path to leadership.

After attending the Women in Engineering Summer Youth Program, Marissa knew that Michigan Tech would be the perfect school for her with its combination of an excellent engineering program and picture-perfect location. Marissa notes that Dr. Gershenson’s lean manufacturing course had a particular impact on her, using the design thinking process, technical learnings, and problem solving skills in her daily work at her current position at Ford Motor Company.

Marissa was an active student at Tech, working as an orientation team leader, an undergraduate researcher in the ME-EM department, and at the Library Cafe. “I loved my time at Michigan Tech because of the memories I made outside the classroom,” she said. “My group of friends did everything together from studying to IM sports and broomball, and eventually becoming housemates when we created a backyard living room made entirely out of snow.”

After graduating, Marissa started in the Ford College Graduate (FCG) program where she rotated through a variety of jobs in her first few years, starting in Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering (PTME). She quickly became a leader amongst her peers and developed a new PTME standard after only six months. She joined the PTME FCG Steering Committee and formed the One Ford FCG Group after noticing a gap in Ford’s FCG community, uniting over 1,000 employees and bringing cross-functional learning, development, and networking to the community. 

In her current role as manufacturing advanced feasibility engineer for electrified powertrains, Marissa leads the manufacturing development and strategic planning for future electrified powertrains and ensures feasibility with the product’s design. In 2020, she was awarded the “Illuminating Innovation and Excellence Award” through Ford’s NextGen Leadership Employee Resource Group and was accepted into Ford’s Thirty Under 30 Program. She is also a mentor through Ford’s Women in Manufacturing group.

Marissa has been actively engaged as an alumni, returning to campus to recruit for Ford during Career Fair, leading Ford Information Sessions and student activities for groups like Formula SAE, SWE, and Materials United, and is a member of the Ford - Michigan Tech Alumni Network.

Marissa is an active volunteer and philanthropist in her community through Alternatives For Girls, which helps homeless and high-risk girls and young women avoid violence, teen pregnancy, and exploitations and helps them to explore and access the support, resources, and opportunities to be safe and make positive choices. 

“Staying engaged with Michigan Tech is important to ensure that future students have the same, or better, opportunities on campus as I did,” she explained. “Alumni create many opportunities for students through their direct involvement with Career Fair, senior design, and curriculum planning. As a Ford employee, I have had the privilege of being a recruiter to help other students achieve their goals of working at Ford.”

Marissa will be inducted into the Michigan Tech Presidential Council of Alumnae in September 2023.

Updated August 2023