Marla received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in psychology from Illinois State University and her PhD in Human Development and Family Science from The Ohio State University. She is a Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University where she is currently serving as the Interim Chair in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. She taught educational psychology and adolescent development for many years and is the co-author of the EdPsych Modules textbook. Her research interests include examining how childhood trauma affects individuals later in life. She has served on the Treatment Advisory Committee at The Baby Fold for the past 20 years and as Chair of the committee for the past 13 years. She has been involved with the Illinois Art Station since its inception in 2016.