Marilyn Anderson Rhames is an author, speaker, and leading expert at the intersection of race, faith, and public education. Her “sweet spot” is leveraging tenets of Christianity to advocate for policies that promote educational justice for children living in fragile communities.

Marilyn is the founder of Teachers Who Pray, a nonprofit organization with more than 140 school-based chapters in America. She spoke in the Oval Office at the White House on constitutional prayer in public schools after successfully urging the U.S. Department of Education to update its guidelines on religious liberties in school. Marilyn has also delivered two TEDx talks, including “Why Faith Will Fix Education.” An education consultant with clients in the philanthropy, government, and nonprofit sectors, Marilyn served on the design team of Harvard University’s Leadership Institute of Faith and Education, and her book, The Master Teacher: 12 Spiritual Lessons That Can Transform Schools and Revolutionize Public Education is discussed in a course at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Marilyn’s first career as a New York City reporter for PEOPLE, TIME, New York Newsday, and The Journal-News was followed by a 14-year stint as a Chicago Public Schools teacher and an education blogger published in The New York Times, Education Week, and Education Post.

Marilyn earned a bachelor's degree in English from Dominican University, a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a master's degree in education from National Louis University. She is currently earning a Ph.D. in education policy at the University of Arkansas.