Merissa Green on Clubhouse

Bio

Merissa Green is a communications analyst for Polk County Public Schools. In this role, Green coordinates the School District's signature events.  She previously worked as the City of Auburndale's communication manager responsible for social media, crisis communications, publicity, and promotions. During her four years there, Green conceived the idea for the county's first Comic Book convention securing celebrities from television and film. She also partnered with The Weather Channel and local tv meteorologists to help revitalize the county's annual Hurricane Expo. For her social media expertise, Green was featured in Florida Trend,  a monthly magazine covering Florida business, industry, education, and leisure.

 

Prior to switching to public relations, Green spent 13 years working at The Ledger covering education, government, public housing, and crime stories. Her work has garnered her multiple state awards. She is most noted for her coverage of slain Lakeland lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare that led to numerous national television appearances including  BET's Murder in the Thirst, MSNBC’s American Greed, Investigation Discovery, Oxygen Snapped, TV One's Justice By Any Means, and E! Investigates Curse of the Lottery. Green made her international debut for her investigative reporting on UK television two years ago. 

 

Green is a 2000 Florida A&M University graduate and she has a degree in newspaper journalism. She is also a 2008 graduate of the New York Times Leadership Academy at Harvard University. Green’s honors include a community service award from the Polk County chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and recipient of Girls Inc. “She Knows Where She’s Going” 2013 George Jenkins Award. Green received the L.B. Brown Festival Legacy Award in 2017 and in the same year received the Polk Emerging Leaders Award. She is also a United Way ReadingPal volunteer and volunteers her PR expertise for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. 

 

Green sits on several community boards, including, Polk State's Bachelor of Education Advisory Board, the United Way of Central Florida,  and is the founder of Queens of the Roundtable, a peer mentoring leadership group.  In her spare time, Green's passion is participating in causes that advocate on behalf of literacy, public school children, and developing leadership opportunities for civic engagement. She is a highly, sought-after guest speaker in the county.