Dr. Marilyn Montgomery arrived at Bushnell in 2015 and returned in 2024 after an absence devoted to family caregiving. She teaches a variety of courses within the CMHC program and serves as its Program Director. She has been teaching at the university level for 23 years.

Marilyn has taught graduate counseling students since 2000 and previously served in leadership roles at Texas Tech University and Florida International University. Her research and publications focus on psychosocial development, particularly school-based counseling interventions for adolescents and the development and revision of one’s sense of self through adulthood. She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as two books for counselors-in-training. She has received grant funding from agencies that include the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Psychological Association to support her research and maintains membership and service contributions to several professional counseling organizations. In addition to faculty responsibilities, she has actively helped children and adults with mental health concerns since 1998.