Melissa Harris Thirsk

Melissa Harris Thirsk is Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at the Law School Admission Council. She leads LSAC’s customer engagement initiatives, brand strategy, and sales. She has over 20 years of experience bringing products, services, and ideas to market for innovative brands including Microsoft, Arizona State University, and WE Communications. As the former executive director of marketing and communications for the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, she was instrumental in bolstering the school’s reputation, receiving the university’s coveted President’s Award for Innovation, while dramatically increasing applications and enrollment. Before joining the law school, Harris Thirsk worked at ASU’s College of Health Solutions as its director of strategic marketing and communications. Prior to ASU, she was the director of communications and events for Microsoft Business Solutions at Microsoft Corp., where she catalyzed Microsoft to be a leading provider of ERP and CRM. Before joining Microsoft, she was senior vice president of the MBS and Microsoft Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners accounts at WE Communications, where she also drove agency-wide innovation and intellectual property initiatives. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, a master’s degree in business administration from the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU, and a global marketing certificate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.