Marisa Cates, Chapel Hill native and Faulconer Scholar, is a 2016 UT Tyler alumni with a B.S. in Human Resources and a minor in Business Administration. Since 2017 Marisa has been employed at the Delek US Tyler Refinery where she has consistently progressed. She began her professional career as a Training Coordinator, progressed to Executive Assistant, and is now their Human Resources Coordinator.

During her time at the Tyler Refinery she has developed skills in project management, employee and union relations, payroll processing and technical writing. Marisa enjoys sharing her experiences from her career journey as well as mentoring other aspiring young professionals.