Marlene Villa » Staff Directory

Marlene Villa is the Coordinator for First-Generation Student Success and program coordinator for First-Generation Leadership and Innovation (FLI) Vanderploeg Scholars, located in the Pathways Offices in Bessey Hall. Marlene has worked at Michigan State University since September 2022. She has experience working in college access within communities of color and low socioeconomic means where most students also identified as first-generation.  Marlene graduated with her BA from John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH and earned her MA in Educational leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship with a concentration in Higher Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Additionally, her work during her graduate experience also focused on the first-generation experience of students at 4-year institutions.