Marcus hails from Columbus, Ohio. He received a BA in Political Science from Miami University, earned a MA in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University, and a PhD in the Urban Systems program at Rutgers-Newark. Marcus has worked in the Newark Public Schools (NPS) and served variously as a teacher, as subject chair and as a vice principal. Since 2008, Marcus has recruited and mentored students from the Newark public schools for the W.E.B. Dubois Scholars Institute at Princeton University. He has served as Chief of Staff for the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute and has expanded partnerships with school districts and has collaborated with pharmaceutical companies to secure funding that provides high school students with opportunities to participate in the Accelerated Learning Academy, a STEM program housed at Princeton University.
Marcus served as Acting Director of Teacher Education in the Department of Urban Education which required him to build strong relationships with school districts in Newark, Jersey City, and elsewhere. Currently, Marcus directs a mentoring program for Newark and East Orange African American males, Becoming Role Models for Successful Manhood. At Cornwall, he serves as Senior Program Director and is responsible for managing program initiatives- especially the Promise Parent Leadership Program — program evaluation, and conducting research to promote positive academic outcomes for students.