Marcela Manjarrez, M.A.
Marcela Manjarrez is CEO of M. Strategic Communications LLC. Marcela provides strategic communications counsel to CEOs and other C-level executives of large public and private companies as well as nonprofits. She has more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications, central banking, economic research, and analysis, including working with CEOs and other C-suite executives and Central Banks on crisis and reputation management. Throughout her career, Marcela has built and led strategic communications teams for large organizations to support the planning and development of transformative initiatives, multi-billion-dollar public-to-public and public-to-private acquisitions, divestitures, integrations, as well as numerous crises including the Financial Crisis of 2008 and the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Marcela retired as Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer for Centene Corporation in May 2022. Centene Corporation is a diversified multinational healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored and commercial healthcare programs focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. In 2022, Centene ranked #26 in the Fortune 500 list and #66 in the Fortune 500 Global list and reported 144.5 billion dollars in revenue with over 74,000 employees serving over 27 million individuals.
At Centene, Marcela oversaw all strategic communications for the company. She oversaw all media and public relations across the Centene enterprise, including all health plans and specialty subsidiaries, in addition to serving as its main media spokesperson. She also managed the Centene Charitable Foundation, which makes substantial contributions to initiatives that improve the quality of life and health in our communities. The Centene Charitable Foundation donated more than $25M each year to non-profit organizations across the U.S.
Marcela joined Centene in 2015, after a successful career at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis where Marcela was Vice President, Public Affairs. Marcela led the external communications, industry relations, and public outreach functions for the bank, headquartered in St. Louis and serving all of Arkansas and portions of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Marcela began her professional career at the St. Louis Fed as a research analyst in 1998. Over the years, Marcela held numerous positions of increasing responsibility including Special Research Assistant to the President, prior to becoming an officer of the company.
Latino Leaders Magazine recognized Marcela as one of the Top Latino Executives in Corporate America in 2018, one of the Top Latinos in C-Suite in 2019, one of the Top Latinos in Corporate America in December 2020 and 2021. There were only 155 Latinos or Latinas in these positions, that represents 2.5% of the C-Suite on the F1000 company index.
Marcela is originally from Mexico City and has lived in St. Louis for the past 28 years. She has 21-year-old twins.