Marilyn is the product of Nevada's K-12 public education and higher education systems. She is a graduate of Las Vegas High School. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education at UNLV, where she was a Rebel cheerleader. She went on to receive her M. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from UNLV.

Marilyn worked as an educator in the Clark County School District for thirty years. While teaching and raising a family, Marilyn also found time to mentor new teachers and to work on education and community projects.

Marilyn served as Assemblywoman for District 5 from 2008 to 2014 in the Nevada State Legislature. While serving, she was Chair of the Health & Human Services Committee, Chair of Transportation, Vice-Chair of Education and also served on the Assembly Judiciary Committee. She served nationally as Vice-Chair of the Council of State Government's education committee and has served as a Commissioner for the Education Commission of the States. Over fifty percent or more of the measures she was a primary sponsor for in each legislative session were related to education. Marilyn championed teacher licensing, which gave teachers more freedom to teach within the districts while still requiring stringent checks to ensure the best possible educators are in the classrooms.

In 2014, Marilyn received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Advancement & Support of Education from the NV Association of School Superintendents for her commitment in education.

Marilyn stepped forward to run for the State Senate because she wants to continue the work she began in the Assembly. She will fight to make our public schools better and work to bring good-paying jobs to Nevada. Marilyn has lived in State Senate district 8 for 25 years. She has 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, reading, and being involved in making education better for Nevada.