Her career, in one form or another, has been a journey toward helping others acknowledge their potential.
Marcia’s work is often to assist others in reframing the way people think about issues that matter, and in her role as Founding Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, this has translated into over a million and a half dollars of investment from the Fund to individuals and organizations across the state to engage in social change on behalf of women and girls. Thus, the impact of the Fund’s work under her leadership continues to make a profound difference.
Recently, in 2010, Marcia became one of two Rhode Island delegates for
Vision 2020, a national project focused on advancing gender equality by energizing the dialogue about women and leadership. Soon after, in 2011, she was selected as one of 13 nonprofit leaders to participate in a
Rhode Island Foundation Fellows program. The fellowship gave her the opportunity to travel to Scandinavia and experience countries where gender equality is far more advanced than in the U.S. Upon her return, Marcia was honored with a Women of Achievement Award by
YWCA Northern Rhode Island.
Marcia obtained her PhD from Boston College’s Graduate School of Social Work where she also obtained her Master of Social Work degree. She has served as full time faculty of St. Ambrose University Graduate School of Social Work, as adjunct faculty at Rhode Island College School of Social Work for 10 years, and as adjunct faculty at American University School of Public Affairs. She spends much of her off work time in East Greenwich, Rhode Island where she lives with her two daughters, enjoys yoga and is at work on her first novel.
"My experience with the Women's Fund continues to be an endless spiral of self-exploration, professionally, intellectually and personally. Being a young professional, I'm humbled to be working alongside with passionate women leaders and philanthropists right here in Rhode Island. The mission of the Women's Fund of Rhode Island is an inspiration in itself - but to actually live it - is life changing, and that is what I hope to share with others."
Olivia volunteers her time to serve other nonprofits. She serves as a grant reviewer for the Rhode Island Foundation Women's Scholarship Fund, and is on the board of Girls Rock!RI - an organization that seeks to empower women and girls through the development of musical skills.
Photo coming soon.
"When I was a girl, I wanted to be a rabbi. I wasn’t particularly committed to my religion, it’s just that back then only men were allowed to be rabbis. I wanted to prove to the world that women are just as effective leaders, just as powerful communicators, and just as knowledgeable as men. In my youthful enthusiasm, it came down to thinking that anything a man could do, a woman could do better. As an adult, I know life isn’t a competition between men and women; it is a conversation where all voices need to be heard." Gayle Goldin