Megan Garafola - Brand Innovators

Megan Garafola

Director, Social Marketing, Marriott International

Megan is the Director of Social Marketing at Marriott International. In her role, Megan leads social media and digital strategy for Marriott Bonvoy, the industry’s largest loyalty program comprised of over 140 million members.

Joining Marriott in 2016 led to Megan’s proudest career achievement – successfully building and launching the social strategy for Marriott Bonvoy, a new brand uniting the company’s previous three loyalty programs. Her work earned a Platinum HSMAI Adrian Award for Digital Marketing, as well as other accolades from the Shorty Awards and Digiday.

Prior to Marriott, Megan spent five years as a strategist at Ogilvy, where she devised digital and social strategies for a wide variety of brands, including Ford Motor Company, BP, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, CHANEL, DuPont, and Glenmorangie. Known to “geek out” over research and insights, Megan’s strong instincts in human behavior led to several award-winning marketing campaigns across varying industries.

Megan began her career as the first hire to Discovery, Inc.’s “Digital Lab”, spearheading the media company’s first foray into social media. While at Discovery, she led social media ideation and content creation for the TLC television network, promoting shows like What Not to Wear, Cake Boss, DC Cupcakes, and Four Weddings.

Outside of work, Megan enjoys spending time in the classroom. She serves as a member of her alma mater’s Dean’s Advisory Council, regularly counseling on curriculum and offering practicums for the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication.

Megan earned her graduate degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California and her undergraduate degree in Political Science from High Point University. She lives in Washington, DC with her adorable rescue pup, Abe.