Faculty Profile for Twister Marquiss

Twister Marquiss
Mgr, Marketing & Communications — McCoy College of Business
MCOY 530
phone: (512) 245-2990
Biography Section
Biography and Education
Twister Marquiss joined the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University in 2021, becoming its first Manager of Marketing and Communications (MarComm). He oversees the MarComm Team with a focus on driving the college’s marketing, strategic communications, and public relations initiatives. His responsibilities include strengthening the McCoy College brand voice and reputation, promoting programs and research, and developing connected communications across the organization. He has extensive experience in finding and sharing the personal and organizational stories that support inclusion and build brand pride.In his first year at McCoy College, the MarComm Team made tremendous impacts in establishing the college's brand and improving its visibility throughout Texas and nationally. The team drove a 73% increase in website page views, and by 2023, website users had doubled per academic year. Social media followers more than tripled, and the engagement rate on McCoy College's LinkedIn account has been consistently higher than any other business school in Texas. The creative team’s overall strategic and tactical campaign efforts have led to a 26-spot leap for McCoy College's part-time MBA in the U.S. News and World Report rankings since 2023, and the college was ranked #30 among all public business schools by Poets & Quants for Undergrads in 2025. Twister has also been responsible for the development, launching, and growth of the McCoy College Newsroom and TXSTMcCoy Magazine.
The MarComm Team's advertising success has significantly increased applications and enrollment. In Fall 2023, McCoy College saw remarkable growth in combined enrollment, and Twister and teammate Nichole Black were subsequently presented with the college's Changemaker Award. Trends for 2025 have been the strongest ever: graduate program applications surged 113% year-to-year, with a 133% increase in yield for Fall 2025.
Twister previously served as Director of the Common Experience at Texas State University. During his four-plus years as director, the Common Experience was the nation's #1 initiative of its kind, setting numerous national benchmarks for student participation, event attendance, and social media engagement. He was a faculty member at Texas State for 18 years, and he has held editorial positions with numerous journals and magazines. His writing and photography have appeared in Narrative Magazine and other publications, and he also hosted a one-time segment for CNN Headline News.
Twister earned a terminal M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Texas State, where he was a Mitte Foundation Scholar, and a B.A. in English from the Honors Program at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, where he was recruited to serve as Sports Information Director — his first position in university marketing and communications — when he was just 19 years old. ✯
Selected Scholarly/Creative Work
- Co-designer (with graduate student Taylor Kirby), 2019-2020 Common Reading Faculty Guide: What the Eyes Don’t See by Mona Hanna- Attisha. 2019.
- Video script writer and narrator, 2019-2020 Common Experience | Truth.
2019.
Showings:
- New Student Orientation. June 4, 2019 - August 20, 2019 LBJ Student Center Ballroom, San Marcos, TX.
- Co-developer (with graduate student Taylor Kirby), content developer, content designer, webmaster, LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series website. 2019.
- Co-developer (with graduate student Taylor Kirby), content developer, content designer, webmaster, Common Experience 2019-2020: Truth website. 2019.
- Marquiss, T., & Nielson Vargas, E. K. (Eds.). (2018). Common Reading Faculty Guide 2018-19: The Runaway Species by David Eagleman and Anthony Brandt. San Marcos, TX: Common Experience.
Selected Awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Guest Coach, Texas State University Women's Basketball Team. December 4, 2019
- Award / Honor Recipient: Service Pin, 15 Years, Texas State University. 2018
- Award / Honor Recipient: Texas State University Quarterly Team Award, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. December 6, 2018
- Award / Honor Recipient: Graduating Student Recognition of Campus Support Program at Texas State. May 2018
- Award / Honor Nominee: Excellence in Diversity Awards, Team Award, Office of Equity and Access. 2017
Selected Grants
- Nielson, Erika, Marquiss, Twister. Arts Respond Performance Support Grant for Big Bend film screening + live score performance, Texas Commission on the Arts, State, $1250. (Funded: April 8, 2019). Grant.
- Marquiss, Christopher Scott. Computing Resources program and Associate V.P. for Instructional Technologies Support. (Funded: 2011). Grant.
- Marquiss, Christopher Scott. Student Computing Resources program and Associate V.P. for Instructional Technologies Support. (Funded: 2010). Grant.
- Marquiss, Christopher Scott. Professional Equity Project (PEP) Grant, National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE). (Funded: 2004). Grant.
Selected Service Activities
Member
Campus Communicators
2019-Present
Co-Chair
LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series Committee
May 21, 2019-Present
Participant
160over90 Brand Research Strategy focus group, Office of University Marketing
2017-Present
Chair
Executive Advisors for the Common Experience
August 15, 2017-Present
Chair
Common Experience Committee
June 1, 2017-Present