Joshua Zerkel

About Joshua Zerkel

I work at the intersection of community and go-to-market strategy.My focus is designing how community integrates into product, marketing, sales, and customer success in ways that drive measurable business outcomes.I call this Community-Integrated GTM.Community isn’t a channel; it’s infrastructure. When embedded intentionally, it influences adoption, retention, expansion, product insights, and durable competitive advantage.For more than 20 years, I’ve built and scaled global community ecosystems across B2B and B2C SaaS. The throughline is integration: connecting customers to each other, translating signal back into the business, and aligning community efforts with revenue and product priorities.I currently serve as Head of Marketing & Community at Gradual, where I lead marketing execution and ensure community and education are structurally aligned with our broader GTM strategy.I’m the author of The Community Code, where I explore what it looks like to embed community into operating models rather than treat it as a standalone initiative. Through writing and advisory work, I partner with founders and GTM leaders who want community to function as a strategic lever within their broader system.Previously:At Asana, I scaled the global community ecosystem to nearly members and built the Ambassador program from 0 to leaders across 190+ countries. Community members were 53% more likely to be on a paid plan, with a 40% lift in team collaboration. Programs influenced $94M+ in pipeline.At Evernote, I led customer education, events, and engagement strategy for a global user base of 200M+, translating community insight into product feedback, advocacy, and revenue impact.At HeyGen, I built community and customer education infrastructure from the ground up, integrating adoption and retention into GTM from day one.If you’re thinking about how community intersects with product strategy, pipeline, expansion, or differentiation, that’s the work I focus on.

Experience

1. Head of Marketing & Community

   Gradual

   May 2025 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   As Gradual’s first go-to-market hire and a member of the executive leadership team, I’m building a community-integrated GTM operating model from the ground up.My scope spans brand, positioning, product marketing, demand and pipeline strategy, events, and customer education. The focus is structural alignment: designing a unified system where community, education, and revenue motion reinforce each other rather than operate in silos.Core areas of ownership- Narrative and category positioning- Pricing and packaging strategy- Integrated demand and pipeline architecture- Community and customer education as embedded GTM infrastructureThis role centers on operating model design as much as marketing execution, establishing the connective layer between customers, product, and revenue.

Education

• San Francisco State University

  BA, Industrial Arts / Design

  1995 — 1998

• CTI Coaches Training Institute

  Professional Coaching

  2004 — 2005

• CMX Media

  Fundamentals of Community Strategy

  2018 — 2018

• San Francisco State University

  MA, Education - Instructional Technology

Skills

• Entrepreneurship
• Training
• Social Media Marketing
• Leadership
• Marketing
• Coaching
• Public Speaking
• Team Building
• Small Business
• Management
• Time Management
• Organizational Development
• Social Media
• Strategy
• Consulting
• Start-Ups
• Blogging
• Facebook
• Editing
• Business Development
• Paper Management
• Project Planning
• Business Strategy
• Program Management
• Executive Coaching
• Strategic Planning
• Professional Organizing
• Leadership Development
• Online Advertising
• New Business Development
• Staff Development
• Management Consulting
• Entrepreneur
• Recruiting
• Instructional Design
• Organizational Effectiveness
• Process Improvement
• Workshop Facilitation
• B2b
• Analysis