Marilyn was born and raised in Los Angeles. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Political Science and Criminal Justice and has an M.S. in Political Science from California State University Fullerton. She also studied one year at Vaxjo University in Sweden.
Marilyn currently works at the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia, where she has investigated hundreds of federal criminal cases ranging from white-collar crimes to international drug trafficking cases to espionage. Before working at the Public Defender Service, Marilyn worked at the Consulate of Guatemala in Los Angeles, California, on immigration protection matters. While in graduate school, Marilyn worked as a behavior therapist with children and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities.
Marilyn began her association with Rotary in Rotaract, holding various positions there including President. She has been a member of the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., for seven years and is currently the President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Club. She also has been a member of the Foundation Board, serving first as Sergeant-of-Arms and Secretary and now as a Board member. She has twice been honored as Rotarian of the Year. She received a District Governor’s Citation Award for her work in Rotaract in 2017, a District Rising Star Award in 2018, and a District Governor’s Citation Award in 2019 for her work in Interact and RYLA. Marilyn is a Paul Harris Fellow +4 recipient and is a member of the Paul Harris and Bequest Societies. She is the only Rotarian in the entire district to be a charter member of Rotary International's Membership Society.
In addition to all her work in Rotary, Marilyn has a long involvement with several community organizations. Marilyn also serves as Vice President of her condominium association, Board of Directors of the Columbia Heights Educational Campus-MCIP, Board of Directors of the Cal State DC Scholars Advisory Board, Board of Directors of the Educational Foundation of the WNDC, among others. She is a proud Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 Honoree, serves as Vice Chair of one of her city's commissions, and is currently a precinct election officer. Marilyn is married to David Caballero and lives in Alexandria, Virginia.