County Board of Commissioners

District 3

District 4

Marianne S. Waldrop, Col, USMC (ret.), Ph.D.

Marianne Waldrop comes from a Marine Corps family. After her father retired as a Marine Corps Colonel Infantry officer serving 30 years, he eventually moved the family from Charleston, SC to Emerald Isle, NC in 1980. After graduating from West Carteret High School in 1983, she attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill where she graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, supported by a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (Marine Corps option) scholarship.  

Upon graduation, she was commissioned as a Marine Corps second lieutenant.  In 1989, she became qualified as a signals intelligence officer and received assignments worldwide, including: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Misawa, Japan; Tampa, Florida; Camp Pendleton, California; and finally, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, Miramar, California.  Mid-career, Marianne was selected to attend Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where she would earn a Master of Science in Computer Science.  After graduation, she served as a project manager for Marine Corps signals intelligence systems.  After this tour, Marianne resigned her commission to work in the information technology industry in San Diego; however, this venture in “corporate America” was short-lived (2 years) due to her recall from the reserves for post-9-11 intelligence operations in support of U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. 

Throughout her career, she led hundreds of Marines in a variety of environments; however, the most challenging were those leadership assignments while deployed in support of four combat operations in Saudi Arabia, Africa, and Iraq.  Marianne’s military career spanned over 24 years, serving from 1987-2011, when she retired in San Diego, California.

Upon her retirement in 2011, Marianne attended the University of San Diego and earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Leadership Studies in May, 2016.  Her research investigated formative experiences and factors influencing highly successful women military leaders.  In over a two-year period, Marianne ultimately completed her dissertation entitled: Understanding Women Leaders in a Male-Dominated Profession:  A Study of the United States Marine Corps’ Women Generals.

Today she lives in Emerald Isle, NC, where, amongst other things, she serves youth through the Young Marines Program in Swansboro, as an officer in the UNC NROTC Alumni Association, and a member of W.E. Baggs, Sr. VFW Post 9960 in Cedar Point, NC. When she can find some time, she can be found on the beach enjoying shell hunting or on the golf courses in the local area.

District 5