Family and Early Life

Marilyn is the oldest of four children. Her father was a farmer, and her mother was a homemaker. She studied chemistry at Georgia Southern University where she was the first undergraduate to present her research to the Georgia Academy of Science. Early in her career, Marilyn worked in textiles, first in Georgia and later in Winston-Salem.

In 1972, Marilyn married Alex Avila, a naturalized citizen from Chile. Together they have two children and four grandchildren. They have lived in North Raleigh for 40 years. After working in textiles for many years, Marilyn started a small business and became a franchisee of a national company.

Start in Politics

After having many issues with the Wake County School Board, Marilyn decided to get involved in politics. In the late 80s, Marilyn attended her first precinct meeting where she was elected as precinct chairs. Since then, Marilyn has been an active Republican volunteer not only in Wake County but also across the state. Marilyn worked for the John Locke Foundation from 1991 to 2006. During that time, she served as treasurer and president of the Wake County Women's Club, Director of Organization for the Wake County Republican Party, and, from 2003 to 2006, as Chair of the Wake County Republican Party.

Elected Official

In 2007, Marilyn was elected to the North Carolina State House where she served for ten years. While in the State House, Marilyn served on various committees, including Children, Youth, and Families, Commerce and Job Development, and Regulatory Reform. She chaired Appropriations for Health and Human Services, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, and Permanency Innovation Initiatives Oversight Committee.

Marilyn is most proud of the work she did to reform the foster care system, amend Certificate of Need Laws, and establish the Efficiency and Cost Savings Committee, which was tasked with reducing government inefficiencies and waste

After NC House

After leaving office in 2017, Marilyn continued to stay active and involved in politics and her community. She worked on behalf of the Children's Home Society of North Carolina and is currently on the Board of Directors for Parents for Educational Freedom and the Veterans Life Center (Butner, NC).

In 2020, Marilyn served as the Second Vice Chair of the Wake County Republican Party, where she was instrumental in organizing events and volunteers. After Election Day, Marilyn worked tirelessly with other volunteers to cure absentee ballots from across North Carolina securing Chief Justice Paul Newby's victory by just 401 votes. In March of 2021, Marilyn was elected Vice Chair of the NC Republican Party District and County Chair's Association (DCCA), where she helps GOP leadership from all 100 NC counties organize and train their volunteers.