Gina Marques was recently named a Salesforce MVP, along with 32 other Trailblazers. Salesforce MVP selections recognize platform experts who go above and beyond to share their expertise and help the entire Salesforce community blaze trails. In total, Gina joins more than 200 MVPs in the Salesforce community who answer user questions, write blogs, host events, lead local groups, mentor new Trailblazers, and more.
From “Accidental Admin” to MVP
In early 2014, Gina started a new position as a Business Systems Analyst at Sparta Systems Inc., a computer software company. Two weeks later, the company’s Salesforce Admin resigned, placing the responsibility squarely on Gina’s lap. A little over six years later, she hasn’t looked back.
Like with any new software, Gina’s earliest experiences with Salesforce involved some learning on the job. When she had a question, she Googled it or reached out to the Trailblazer Community. In 2016, she discovered Trailhead, Salesforce’s robust learning experience platform. With Trailhead, Gina gained expertise on a wide range of Salesforce topics, from security to reporting to data management, and more. She also started attending user group meetings to learn more, and in May of 2018, became a co-leader of the Hamilton, NJ Admin Community Group.
A month later, Gina joined OwnBackup as CRM Manager. As a leading backup and recovery ISV on the AppExchange, OwnBackup wasn’t just a Salesforce customer-they were a trusted partner. Gina’s Salesforce connections and expertise would contribute greatly to OwnBackup's growth.
Some of Gina’s accomplishments at OwnBackup include managing the organization’s internal Salesforce.com platform, working closely with sales leadership to implement various sales related processes, developing training and documentation for applications, conducting sessions for colleague onboarding, and integrating other ISV solutions.
Gina also hosts other community groups at OwnBackup's New Jersey office, as a way to give back to the Salesforce community.
What’s next for OwnBackup's fearless Salesforce admin?
With Gina, the sky’s the limit. Being a highly respected, 3x certified Salesforce Admin likely wasn’t the career path she had expected. But she wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
“I love the product, the community, and the help you can get from incredible people”, Gina says. “It’s been an awesome experience unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a software ecosystem.”
How to connect with Gina
On Salesforce’s MVP page, you can find MVPs like Gina, learn more about them through their Trailblazer.me profiles, and connect via the Trailblazer Community. Gina is also active on LinkedIn and Twitter.
As a Salesforce New Jersey User Group Leader, Gina leads several user groups throughout the year. In addition, she is a chairperson for the Phillyforce/Mid Atlantic Dreamin’ event. This community-led conference is for professionals with a passion for the Salesforce platform and is focused on deep technical content for experienced Developers, Configurators, and Architects on the Platform.
Want to learn more from Gina? Check out her latest blog posts here:
8 Steps to Protect Your Student and Alumni Data
Getting the Most out of Dreamforce for Salesforce Admins and Developers
How to Build Your Salesforce Admin Dream Team
Congratulations to Gina and all of the new Salesforce MVPs!
About Own
Own is the leading data platform trusted by thousands of organizations to protect and activate SaaS data to transform their businesses. Own empowers customers to ensure the availability, security and compliance of mission-critical data, while unlocking new ways to gain deeper insights faster. By partnering with some of the world’s largest SaaS ecosystems such as Salesforce, ServiceNow and Microsoft Dynamics 365, Own enables customers around the world to truly own the data that powers their business. It’s their platform. It’s your data. Own it. Learn more at owndata.com. For more information, visit https://www.owndata.com.
Media Contact:
Aimée Leabon
VP, Communications
aimee.leabon@owndata.com
