Marie Martin, one of eight children of Roy and Evelyn West, grew up on a farm near the small town of Roseboro, N.C. She received her undergraduate degree from East Carolina University and completed Master's Degrees from UNC-G and North Carolina A & T with additional graduate work at Wake Forest University. She and her husband, Thomas, have been married 36 years. They have 2 children, Erik and Jennifer, and 3 wonderful grandchildren, Taylor, Tripp and Sydney.

After serving 34 years as an educator, both as a teacher and administrator, Marie is now retired and lives in the North Shore Golf Course Community in Sneads Ferry, N.C.