Marilyn grew up in Memphis, graduating from George Washington Carver High School. She received the B.B.A. degree in business administration from LeMoyne-Owen College, while working as a co-op student with E. I. DuPont. She has additional business certifications from Management Concepts, Atlanta, GA. and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers Home Administration. Marilyn worked as a tax examiner with the Internal Revenue Service before joining the Memphis Minority Business Development Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency in 1978. She was promoted to business management advisor in 1982. Marilyn moved to Nashville in 1984 to work as project director for the Nashville Minority Business Development Center and is now executive director of the Nashville Minority Business Center.
Marilyn is the president of the NAACP, Nashville branch and the immediate past president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan Nashville Chapter. She serves as co-moderator of the economic and community development task force of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, Legislative Retreat and Training Conference. She is also Nashville Coordinator of the African American Economic Development Coalition and Nashville Coordinator of Minority Enterprise Development Week.
Marilyn is a member of the board of directors of the Tennessee Justice Center and a member of the community board of advisors for the Meharry Medical College, Center for Women's Health Research. She was appointed by Mayor Bill Purcell to the Nashville Electric Service board in 2000. She received Governor appointments to the Minority Business Development Advisory Committee and the Title VI-Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Oversight Committee.
In 2005, she received the "Harriet Tubman Award" from Youth About Business, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship "Drum Major Award", the U.S. Department of Commerce, Atlanta Regional Office, "Director's Award", the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership "Candlelight Award" and the U.S. Small Business Administration, Tennessee District Office, "Small Business Advocate of the Year Award".
She received awards in 1999 for outstanding contributions in business from both the Gamma Beta Chapter of Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc, and the (Nashville Club) National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Club, Inc. She has been featured in the Nashville Business Journal's 10th Year Anniversary Edition: "Small Business Advocate" and, NashvilleLife Magazine as one of Nashville's "100 Coolest People."
She is a member of Leadership Nashville, National Coalition of 100 Black Women and a life member of the NAACP. Her interests include grass roots politics, traveling, reading, and collecting autographed literature of black authors.
