About Marilyn

Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe is a strong advocate for her community. Having lived in the Upcounty for nearly 30 years, Marilyn is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and do the hard work of community building.

Prior to joining the County Council, Marilyn was the President/CEO of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce. As the CEO of the Chamber, Marilyn was actively involved in land use planning, transportation and economic development. She has worked with thousands of businesses, large and small to help create a vibrant local economy. On the Council, her focus will remain to strengthen the County’s business climate and bring jobs to the Upcounty. Marilyn has been a strong voice for transportation and was a major advocate for building the Watkins Mill Interchange and remains committed to increasing capacity on the MARC rail system.

Marilyn is well known for her contributions to our community. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery (Class of 2000) and co-chaired the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan Implementation Committee. She was most recently on the Board of Future Link and continues to be a mentor for students transitioning to Montgomery College. Marilyn is a past chair of the Committee for Montgomery and a prior member of the Leadership Group of Montgomery Moving Forward focusing on the important issue of Early Care and Education in Montgomery County. Marilyn was also on the Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census where she was the lead liaison for Germantown, as well as the Upcounty Vaccination Outreach Committee.

Prior to being at the Chamber, Marilyn was with BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown as the Executive Director during the construction and the first year of operations. Marilyn was also a primary driver in the completion of the Germantown Library and the Germantown Town Center Park. She was also on staff at the Upcounty Regional Services Center as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Germantown community.

Prior to her work in the community, Dr. Balcombe was an Organizational Psychologist with the U.S. Department of Energy. Her primary focus was the well-being of the contractor workforce and worked with psychologists across the country on issues such as substance abuse, mental wellness, and the safety and security of our federal facilities. In addition to her work in the United States, she worked in England at a newly opened medical school at the University of York, developing their organizational infrastructure.

Marilyn holds a Ph.D. is Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida, and a Bachelors degree in Accounting also from the University of Florida. She is a long-time resident of Germantown. Her daughter Emily is a proud graduate of MCPS Northwest High School – Go Jags!