Marissa was born and raised in Georgian Bay on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and within the historic Georgian Bay Metis Community, on pre-confederation treaty 5 and 16 territory. Marissa is a citizen of the Metis Nation of Ontario.

Marissa is the Indigenous Innovation Lab Manager at the Indigenous Innovation Initiative, where she is co-creating a first-of-its-kind pre-seed through scale Indigenous innovation lab in partnership with community, partners, and innovators. She was previously the Knowledge Management and Translation Associate for the Indigenous Innovation Initiative, and continues to lead knowledge governance, impact measurement, evaluation, and knowledge sharing functions. Marissa is committed to engaging in these activities through co-creation and using Indigenous methodologies that centre First Nation, Inuit and Metis Worldviews, Values, Principles and Protocols.

Marissa completed her Honours Specialization in Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario, Certification in Lean Six Sigma and Quality Improvement from the University of Toronto, Project Management Professional designation from the Project Management Institute, and MSc Global Challenges at the University of Edinburgh.