Alumna and Former Three-Sport Student-Athlete Flexes her Marketing Prowess to Inspire Limitless Potential in Other Women
Michael Wynn | Social Community Manager
When alumna Brianna (Docimo) Stone, ‘13 reflects on her time on campus, she fondly remembers the community that existed among the students, faculty, and associates. A three-sport student-athlete who attended Post on a soccer scholarship, Stone knew the importance of getting involved. In addition to playing soccer and lacrosse, and running cross country, she was a resident assistant and held leadership roles as a member of the Residence Hall Association, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and the Student Government Association.
It is this strong sense of self and a love of community involvement that has allowed her to excel as the west and central field marketing manager for the retail apparel and fashion brand, Athleta. Known for its inclusivity and sustainability, the brand’s mission is to ignite the limitless potential of all women and girls. In her role, Stone shares Athleta’s mission by creating elevated experiences and partnerships locally and nationally bringing new customers to the brand. She also manages Athleta’s New Store Opening Outreach Strategy for all new stores that open across the fleet.
“The role that my team has is pretty unique because we sit in our markets instead of at headquarters, so we get to have a direct connection with our consumers,” Stone said. “I think that is my favorite part of my job; seeing our brand, mission and values come to life through meaningful and engaging experiences we create for our customers.”
Stone, who earned a bachelor’s degree in both business administration and marketing, recently supported Athleta’s new store opening in Southbury, Connecticut – just a few miles from Post’s main campus in Waterbury.
“When Southbury popped up, I was like ‘oh my gosh, I went to school right down the road!’,” she said. “It was fun to be able to connect with the store manager and just chat about different places in the area I was familiar with.”
An important part of her role is making sure that a new store’s opening strategy includes ways to engage and connect with the local community.
“I help to guide the new store’s leadership team on different ways they can connect with their community to announce their opening, build relationships and host events for local consumers and partners,” Stone said. “My goal is to arm store teams with the tools they need to educate local consumers about our brand, our mission and values.”
Prior to joining Athleta in 2019, she gained experience in account and marketing management at both agencies and nationally known brands. She is always inspired by brands that are doing good for people and the environment, and Athleta fits that bill.
“When I was looking for my next opportunity, I wanted the company to align with who I am as a person and the things that are important to me, like fitness, well-being and empowering women and girls. The job at Athleta was really aligned with what I value personally and professionally.”
While sports and athletic apparel brands tend to be male-dominated industries, Stone appreciates the fact that most of Athleta’s leaders are women.
“I’m lucky that I’ve had some amazing managers in my career who have advocated for me and challenged me. They trusted me and championed me and saw my potential which means a lot. So, now as a manager, I am trying to be that for the women on my team.”
During her time at Post, personal support was hallmarked by the mentorship of strong women in leadership roles on campus, like Associate Program Chair for Management Melissa Santos, University Registrar Caitlyn Masiewicz, and the University’s Provost Dr. Elizabeth Johnson. These women, who have all advanced within the University since Stone’s graduation in 2013, encouraged her to share her voice and empowered her to become the leader she is today.
“Melissa Santos was an incredible resource for everyone, and an amazing human who really supported me in my studies,” Stone said. “Caitlyn Masiewicz lead our residence hall association group and encouraged us to take charge and plan some really awesome events for our students, and Dr. Johnson has always been a female powerhouse at the University, championing young women and providing opportunities for them.”