Alumni Spotlight: Joanne Marren ’11 MA

By the time Joanne Marren ’11 MA enrolled as a graduate student in Montclair’s Applied Linguistics program, she had already enjoyed not one – but two – successful careers.

Armed with an undergraduate degree from LeMoyne College and a law degree from St. John’s University, Marren began career number one as an associate at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP. Her star rose through senior vice president and general counsel roles at Shearson Lehman Hutton Inc. and The Equitable Companies Inc. (now AXA Financial). In 1990, she furthered her knowledge by completing the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. After serving as executive vice president, chief administrative and legal officer and director of Gruntal Financial, Marren retired from her full-time career in law and finance in 2001. She since has kept a toe in that water, however, serving as a litigation consultant for Transonic Systems, Inc. and in law firm client development training at Stackhouse Garber & Associates.

Marren also has a deep interest in education, which she first pursued through volunteering. From 1992 to 2005, she served in various capacities at LeMoyne College, including terms as vice chair and chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of Academic Affairs and Student Development. She was also a member of the Board of Trustees at New York’s Xavier High School, where she also participated as co-chair of the school’s Presidential Search Committee.

During that time, she began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at Passaic County Community College. She earned a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from University of Cambridge and a certificate in Teaching English from The New School.

“I really enjoyed teaching and was considering teaching full time, but that would require a master’s degree in ESL or a related discipline,” she says. “That led me to Montclair’s program in Applied Linguistics.”

“I chose Montclair because it was close to home and offered an in-person learning experience,” she continues. “I liked being on the campus, which is beautiful, and connecting with other students. I like writing, too, so I never minded the assignments.”

Although Marren expanded her education experience by joining Montclair as an adjunct linguistics professor and professor of first-year writing, she ultimately decided not to teach full-time. Instead, she leaned into new volunteer roles, serving as a trustee and vice chair of the board at Bloomfield College and completing a five-year term as board chair of Nativity Middle School in New York.

In 2025, Marren was appointed to the advisory board of Montclair’s College for Education and Engaged Learning.

“I am happy to reconnect with the University,” she says. “There is such a huge diversity of learning opportunities here, especially in education. I am looking forward to getting more involved with the Ben Samuels Children’s Center and the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health. It will be exciting to work with programs that have so direct an impact on children and their development.”

Marren is equally excited about meeting today’s Montclair students. “I hope to encourage them to take full advantage of all that is available here, even when it doesn’t relate directly to their major,” she says. “Exploring a variety of disciplines can be so rewarding. It will round out your education and expand your thinking.”