Get to know me…

Kathleen Marrs

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Chicago area. In a little village, it was actually part of the city of Chicago, it’s called Talmud Park. I spent my whole life there until I went to college there.

Where did you attend school?

I went to college in a little methodist university called Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Illinois.

What keeps you in Indiana?

Well, I met my husband in graduate school, at the University of Illinois in Chicago. After we finished grad school, neither one of us had traveled very much, so we wanted to either go to Boston or California for our post ex. So we ended up doing our post ex. at Stanford, which was great, but ya know, once you do that you’re a two faculty couple, and you’re trying to find jobs in a place that you don’t have to, like, live in different cities and stuff. So we both got jobs in Indianapolis. We’re like hey, that’s only two hours away from home, we live in Zionsville so we’re kind of like on the 65 headed up to Chicago. So it’s actually been very nice. We’re at IUPUI, so what keeps us here now, we actually have all three kids may not be living in Indianapolis with college and graduate school and stuff, so what really keeps us in Indianapolis…I don’t know. But right now we love our jobs and we love being at IUPUI.

When did your interest in advocacy start?

I went to the Women4Change event the other night. Not the panel discussion, but there was one before that that was run by Planned Parenthood, just a couple weeks before that. I had to find this old picture. When I was 19, and in college, my work study job they gave you like a variety of places you could work, and one was Planned Parenthood. So I have a picture of my 19-year-old-self with my Planned Parenthood shirt on, and ya know I think that’s when I became interested in advocacy. I was 9 years old when Roe v Wade was signed, or happened. I don’t remember it, but I vaguely remember it, because I remember women my moms age and my aunts, talking about like “the pill.” I knew there was something to it, but I didn’t know what, ya know, I was only 9. By the time I was 19, I remember there was a chance you could sign a petition to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Roe v Wade, and I did. My name was in the newspaper, it was like a full page ad by Planned Parenthood in Bloomington, Illinois. I think it was through working for Planned Parenthood as a college student that I became interested [in advocacy].

What drew you towards women4change?

Well, ya know like so many women, especially my age, the 2016 election was simply devastating. I had not been involved in politics at all. I hardly knew who my senators, and state senators and reps were, I did, but I had only the foggiest kind of notion about it. So I got involved in Women4Change. I had gone to a couple of events, and about that time our office for women tried to get a group of faculty who might be interested in running a student organization, and at IUPUI that’s what I do, haha. I’ve been the biology club advisor for literally 20 years. Barb Wallen, but she was on the board, she was at that meeting. Our two personalities were like “oh yeah, we have to do this.” So she was kind of like an invited person from Women4Change for this student organization. Given everything that had just happened, given the amazing women on our campus, our women students, I’m like “yes, this is something I want to do for sure.”

What are some causes you really stand behind right now?

Well, reproductive freedom is one. I would say it’s a huge one. Just knowing students and things like that, right’s for people who have immigrated to this country really concerns me a lot. We have a lot of DACA students at IUPUI, students who are international students who are on the path to become naturalized citizens. I work with another group that has domestic violence, and relationship violence, as kind of their “theme,” so I think I’m very passionate about that. And, of course, women in science. I teach biology, I teach a lot biology class, so in the fall there is 600 students. Which puts me in a good place for Women4Change, in terms of recruiting students, because ya know I can talk to so many people at once or ya know let a student come into the class, and I offer this to all student clubs, to come in and give a two minute spiel about what you do and tell people about the call out meeting or something. I would say most of the causes that I am passionate about are about women; women in science, women’s reproductive health, but then I do just have a little soft spot too for people who have just come to this country in one way or another, and ya know try to help them have a successful go at it.

What are some things you do outside of being on the board at women4change?

I’m on the board of directors for Girl Scouts of central Indiana, and I love Girl Scouts! I wish I still had a girl young enough to be in Girl Scouts because I love girl scouting. I was a Girl Scout leader for over 10 years, and I simply love everything about Girl Scouts. I just think they have such an empowering kind of curriculum and vision, everything for girls. They’re over 100 years old. Many, if not the majority of women, elected officials, were Girl Scouts at one time. Lot of CEOs, so ya know, Girl Scouts are a tough bunch of girls! That’s something I’m pretty involved in. I’m also involved in my local democratic, like Boone County Dems, something that I really like to do in terms of hanging out with other people like that.

Is there something interesting that you would like people to know about you?

I don’t know how interesting, but I am a mom of 3. I have 3, lovely children. A lot of time it’s not easy, for especially women scientists, to be able to kind of, ya know, juggle everything, fit in everything. Thank goodness my husband has always been an amazing person, another fellow scientist. Our partnership together has allowed us to do things like that. That’s one thing I’m kind of very proud of. Our eldest daughter just finished her PHD, and she was born when we were finishing our PHDs. So that was a very nice full-circle kind of thing. I’m proud of being a scientist. Another thing is, July 1st I stepped down, I spent a year as the Dean of the Honors College at IUPUI, it was a temporary position, but I really enjoyed that.