Changemaker Series: Marcella Rupp

Welcome to Changemaker Stories from LOCAL - an ongoing series of personal interviews with leaders driving change across every industry and discipline. Because change shouldn’t mean going it alone.

This week, we sat down with Marcella Rupp, a passionate communications leader whose career spans the Better Business Bureau, Hasbro, and T-Mobile. In our conversation, Marcella shares the power of doing things differently, why employee engagement is essential to any transformation, and the inspiration she draws from the Seattle Space Needle.

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I've been in communications for 20 years now. I got my start in public relations at the Better Business Bureau, where I focused on community support and raising awareness for the organization. It was a great first step right out of college — a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of communication.

From there, I joined Hasbro, where I spent over seven years working in PR and marketing. I supported three of their global entertainment brands — helping bring some of their most iconic gaming products to life and generating excitement for a whole new generation.

Transitioning from the Better Business Bureau to the gaming and entertainment industry was quite the shift — but I loved it. The people I worked with at Hasbro weren’t just developing the games; they had grown up with them. That deep connection brought a real authenticity to the work. My job was to tap into that energy and help share it with the world.

In my next role, I transitioned out of PR and jumped head first into internal communications and employee engagement — It was an unexpected move and I didn’t have much experience in the area at the time but from day one, I knew: this is what I’m made for.

What I love about employee communications is the opportunity to be more real — there’s a human side to it that, if done right, can help create incredible experiences for employees. And there’s a real skill to it –  it’s a careful balance between honesty, transparency and finely crafted, authentic messaging.

I learned early on that when it comes to internal comms, you can’t bullshit employees. They know when they’re being fed corporate jargon, when leadership is dancing around a tough subject, and when they’re being fed promises that will never be realized.

The key to effective internal communications is to do it in a direct, human way so that your message resonates with employees and helps to build trust. Moreover, creating opportunities for 2-way conversations and leaning into employee feedback helps you build valuable insights into what’s working, what isn’t, and how the company can do better. When companies embrace employees as stakeholders, pride and ownership increase and, therefore, so does success.

“When you treat your employees well, you're going to do well.”

Show employees you’re listening and that their questions, comments, and opinions really matter. For example, if an idea from an all-employee meeting is actually put into practice, it demonstrates that the company values its employees’ input — which goes a long way in fostering a sense of recognition and trust.‍

Employee storytelling is also incredibly important. It’s not just about the successes; it’s about putting faces to those successes and showing the people behind the achievements.

There’s power in employees telling their own stories. By creating space for employees to share who they are, why they’re here, and what drives them, it creates authentic connections among peers and colleagues, which help build the foundation of a strong culture.

Strong company culture is built by employees, then nurtured by the company. In my work and research, the most successful companies are the ones who allow their culture to grow organically from the people who live it every day. They lean into what employees care most about and find ways to align with it. I’ve seen so many companies mistakenly believe they need to build their culture through grand internal campaigns, force fed to employees with branded swag and meaningless gestures. But those with the most well-established cultures are the ones that follow employees’ lead and build their brand and values around them.

Companies are constantly transforming as new technologies emerge and the landscape changes. As we transform, the challenge becomes: how do we continue to lead, while still staying true to our roots and that core sense of who we are?

Engaged employees better manage change, but it’s crucial for leadership to ensure they’re brought along in any transformation journey.  You have to lay out a clear vision for the future — giving the team a sense of where you’re headed in the next three to five years. It doesn’t need to be fully detailed, but articulating where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow is incredibly important. It provides direction, helps everyone feel like they’re part of something bigger, and ensures that employees are prepared (and willing) to ride the wave of change and trust leadership to carry them through.

You can’t just toss something out there and expect employees to pick it up on the first try. It requires a really intentional communications approach.

When you set a clear vision for your employees and follow up with regular, consistent, and easy-to-understand communications — with no surprises — you set yourself up for success on the back end.

Measuring success in internal communications is challenging because it’s all about driving behaviors and tracking trends, some of which isn’t quantifiable. For example, if you promote the company’s career development resources, it’s easy to track program participation and intranet clicks but it’s difficult to correlate those numbers with an uptick in sales or saved costs. However, if you track the behaviors that are driven by your communications plan and are able to identify positive outputs such as increased promotions or decreased attrition, it’s a clear sign that your efforts are providing value to the company.

‍It may sound cliché, but the Space Needle in Seattle is one of the places that really inspires me. As a Northwest native, I grew up in complete awe of the Space Needle and the surrounding landscape set against the backdrop of our beautiful Mt. Rainier. There’s no place in the world like this city and my heart jumps every time it comes into view.
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