Marissa has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Baylor University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.

Marissa is the Manager, Labor & Employment Legal Counsel for Houston Methodist, the No. 1 hospital in Texas.

Prior to joining Houston Methodist, Marissa was a HR Business Partner at Legacy Community Health and a Senior Employee Relations Consultant at Texas Children's Hospital.

Marissa has served as Deputy Senior Legal Counsel to Hope Andrade Commissioner Representing Employers at the Texas Workforce Commission in Austin, Texas.

A passionate advocate for abused children, Marissa has served on the Texas Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) statewide board.

Marissa is a former co-chair of the Houston Bar Association's Gender Fairness Committee and also serves on a Houston Rodeo committee.

In November 2019, Marissa was elected as a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow. In July 2018, Marissa received the "Best Feature/General Interest Series of Articles Award" from the State Bar of Texas, for her Houston Lawyer magazine article, "'Are you an Attorney, Too,?' The Impact of Intersectionality on the Career Advancement of Women of Color."

Marissa was born and raised in Laredo, Texas and is fluent in Spanish.