Turnitin Hires Global Talent and Culture Executive, Marissa Farrar, as New Chief People Officer

Turnitin, a leader in academic integrity and assessment solutions for schools, universities, and professional organizations hires Marissa Farrar, experienced global talent and culture executive, as chief people officer.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Marissa join Turnitin especially at this exciting time in the company’s growth and evolution,” said Chris Caren, Turnitin CEO. “Marissa’s experience in setting a culture of innovation, diversity, and inclusivity will drive Turnitin to reach higher and better serve the institutions and individuals who rely on our assessment and integrity products.”

Education has always been a part of Marissa’s personal and professional story. She comes from a family of educators, who stressed the importance of academic integrity and excellence at an early age. They previously developed a residential, military-style academy for students who did not complete traditional high school. She is a double-degree graduate of Rutgers University, completing majors in both Labor & Industrial Relations and Communications (highest honors) before earning her Masters in Human Resource Management (summa cum laude). While attending graduate school, she also managed research fellows at the Rutgers University Center for HR Strategy.

Since then, Marissa is noted for her experience as an HR leader at Merck, Raytheon, Kimberly-Clark, Mölnlycke Health Care, and AECOM where she oversaw the employee experience, drove attraction, retention, and development of top industry talent, and helped embed diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout organizational processes. In joining Turnitin, Marissa returns to her education roots, bringing with her a purpose-driven mindset and a proven track record of driving progressive HR initiatives.

“This is an exciting time of growth at Turnitin,” said Marissa. “Operating as one unified culture, as well as leveraging the talents of a team that is truly reflective of the many locations in which we operate, as well as the diverse students and educators who use our solutions, has never been more important. I am honored to join Turnitin and I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.”

Turnitin has grown into a global leader of education technology that safeguards academic integrity, streamlines assessments, and improves learning outcomes. Its flagship solutions include Turnitin Feedback Studio, which helps educators save time on grading, mitigate potential plagiarism, and facilitate formative learning opportunities, and Gradescope, which streamlines assessment delivery and grading workflows for paper-based, online, and programming assessments. Recently, Turnitin has expanded its purpose to empower students to do their best, original work across all subjects and assessment types, and added ExamSoft and ProctorExam to the Turnitin family.

“We’re embarking on a new chapter in Turnitin’s journey, adding and building new technologies that give faculty an end-to-end assessment solution. Building out a diverse and inclusive team whose work reflects their lived experiences is critical to the success of this endeavor. We couldn’t ask for better timing for Marissa coming on board, and we are grateful for her expertise and vision in leading global teams of talented, motivated, and mission-oriented individuals,” added Caren.