Dr. Marion Gillis-Olion
Marion Gillis-Olion earned her B.A. Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Reading at Kean University (formerly Newark State Teachers College) in Union New Jersey, and the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Reading in Early and Middle Childhood Education from The Ohio State University as a Ford Foundation Fellow.
She began her teaching career in Newark New Jersey public schools and worked in summer enrichment programs in Patterson, NJ before she moved to Columbus, OH where she worked in elementary schools as a researcher and as an administrative intern with the Columbus Public Schools.
Since earning her doctorate degrees, Dr. Gillis-Olion has held tenured/tenure track faculty positions at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the University of Virginia, and tenured faculty and administrative positions at Fayetteville State University.
Marion has published articles and made presentations on topics related to statewide and national accreditation processes. She has spearheaded the production of institution-wide regional accreditation reports, state department of public instruction accreditation self-studies, and national self-studies. She has made presentations at national conferences of the AACTE, AEYC, NCATE (now CAEP), and regional conferences of SACS.
Dr. Olion enjoys working in the community where she lives. During her time in Fayetteville, she has served as chair and vice chair of the Board of Trustees of the Cape Fear Valley Health System, Chair of the Cumberland County Joint Planning Board, Secretary to the Cumberland County Partnership for Children, Co-Chair of the Cumberland County Women’s Giving Circle, President of the Fayetteville Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, and President of the Fayetteville Chapter to the Links, Inc. Dr. Olion also served on the NC Teaching Fellows Commission.