About the Founder

Maurisa is the Founder and CEO of Spotted MP (Marketing + Public Relations) an award-winning small, women, and minority-owned boutique marketing consultancy that provides distinctive and innovative strategies for brand growth. Maurisa has over 25 years of professional marketing, communications, and events experience. Bravely leaving corporate America and launching her business in 2008 during a major economic recession, Maurisa is known for her mission-driven work ethic, creativity, and expertise that delivers results for clients. Since the launch of her firm, her impact and influence with local and national clients have grown, and she has established a strong reputation as a valued and trusted resource. Her areas of focus include economic development, retail/hospitality, real estate, lifestyle, and non-profits, and has been the face behind creative projects for a variety of businesses and brands within those industries. Some of her clients include Tysons Corner Center, one of the nation’s premier retail shopping complexes, Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Resort Properties, prominent in the northern Virginia and DC region, Whitman Walker a DC-based community-centered enterprise committed to advancing social justice and equality through health, to national non-profit In A Perfect World who empowers the next generation of global changemakers with skills and opportunities needed to succeed and thrive, founded to honor and build upon the philanthropic work between In a Perfect World founder, Manuela Testolini and Prince.

She is an industry award-winning practitioner whose achievements have been well documented and profiled, especially in the D.C./Metro business and social communities. In 2024, she was appointed by her alma mater (Virginia Tech) to serve on the Pamplin College of Business Marketing Advisory Board. In 2023, she was the recipient of the 2023 Small Business of the Year Award by the executive women leadership organization called The Spectrum Circle. In April 2023, she was the recipient of Virginia Tech University’s prestigious Influential Black Alumni Award, recognized as the 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner. In 2021 she was featured in VIP Alexandria Magazine’s Power Women Issue as a 2021 Most Inspiring Women of Alexandria and in 2019 was a finalist for Best Small Business in Alexandria. 

Maurisa is also a leading force that provides women and minorities opportunities through her mentoring and business work. She regularly provides expert commentary on news topics such as diversity and inclusion, disparity, women in media, marketing and PR strategies, and working-mom perspectives. Within the past year, she has been featured in the Washington Business Journal, Forbes, District Fray Magazine and WTOP News talking about a variety of topics.

Potts received her B.S. from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech and was the first woman in her family to graduate from college. When she is not working, she is an avid sports fanatic, fitness fan, fashion lover, wine lover, and Prince lover – her favorite musical artist. She resides in Alexandria,VA with her long time husband David, her teenage son Derek, and a dog mom to Lainey.