Marie has had a long career in both the private and nonprofit sectors to develop, stabilize, and finance programming aimed at the abatement of persistent poverty. She was a former Executive Director of Allied Housing, a California-based fair housing nonprofit, and Homes for South Florida, a nonprofit bank loan consortium. Her work in New Orleans includes managing the Gulf Coast Career Construction Center, securing funding through the Kellogg Foundation, and completing housing projects for ACORN Housing. She also has a background in corporate finance, as the Vice President and Staff Group Executive of Chemical Bank Corporation. She has also worked as an Independent Consultant for the Rockefeller Foundation, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and New York Catholic Charities.