About us
Our team
Affiliations

Senior Leadership

Beth Ann Fricker
 
Beth Ann Fricker is involved in all phases of research—from study design, to field oversight, data analysis and reporting. Ms. Fricker is the online study manager of Pursuant’s proprietary online data collection division “Give Us Your Thoughts.” She holds a Master in Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has considerable background in both qualitative and quantitative research. Ms. Fricker comes to Pursuant from the University of Colorado, Boulder where she was responsible for the administration, supervision, management and development of a residential community consisting of 420 students. Prior to that, she held a similar position at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Marcus Holmes

Marcus Holmes graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia in 2002 with an Interdisciplinary degree in "Digital Humanities." After graduation, Holmes joined Deloitte Consulting as a Business Analyst where he served federal clients in the Washington area for two years. While at Deloitte, Holmes focused on Content Management and Communications strategy as part of their Strategy and Operations practice.

Melissa Marcello, President
 
Melissa Marcello founded Pursuant Research, an independent opinion and marketing research firm that specializes in data-driven strategy for business leaders and communicators, in 2002 in Washington, DC. Prior to Pursuant, Marcello was Vice President of SWR Worldwide, a public opinion research firm owned by Weber Shandwick and operating as one of the Cassidy Companies in Washington, DC. In her academic career, she served as Project Director at the University of Wisconsin Survey Center, where she directed research projects for faculty, state and federal government.

More recently, Marcello was an adjunct in Georgetown University's Communication, Culture and Technology (CCT) Masters program. She is currently a Vice President of Professional Development for IABC Washington.

Marcello works with corporations, NGO's, state and federal government developing innovative research strategies to meet communications and other business objectives. She has conducted hundreds of quantitative and qualitative studies in her career.

With a Masters degree from Purdue University, Marcello has also completed two years of doctoral coursework in Sociology at University of Wisconsin, Madison. No stranger to the press, Marcello got her start as a stringer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and has been frequently quoted in the broadcast and print media for Pursuant's polls. Known for her energetic, engaging and thought-provoking style, Marcello has appeared on a number of talk radio programs across the country, and on broadcast and cable television programs, such as Good Morning America, and Scarborough Country.