Marilynn J. Thoma is an active art collector and has a strong interest in the governance of art museums and foundations. Her Spanish colonial collection has been exhibited internationally, and most recently in the Voyage to South America exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. In Chicago, Marilynn serves on the Boards of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Marilynn is a current member of the Blanton National Leadership Board. She was an active council or advisory member at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Oklahoma State University Museum of Art, Museum of New Mexico Foundation, and the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Impaired.
Professionally, Marilynn had overseen the marketing of Van Duzer Vineyards, an 80-acre estate Pinot Noir winery in Oregon that the Thomas founded in 1998. She began her career in brand management at Quaker Oats Company in Chicago following her MBA from Stanford. Like her husband, Marilynn Thoma graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University.