About Dr. Marbut

This will be my first year at Clovis East, yet my 25th year in education.

My history starts in Southern California. I come from Redondo Beach, California where I attended Mira Costa High School. During my time as a Mustang, I was in the band, played on the basketball and softball team, and like any teenager was active in all sorts of clubs and whatever I could do to stay connected to friends and fun.

I was given an opportunity to play basketball in college on a scholarship and left SoCal to head to a small island and town in Sitka, Alaska attending Sheldon Jackson College. My college had only 250 students and only a few majors so I got a bachelor's degree in business administration since I didn't want to work in a salmon hatchery or for the forest service.

After graduation I had determined I wanted to be in education and was fortunate enough to get a job as a college basketball coach, a career I would follow for the next 23 years. I crisscrossed the country living in Washington, Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Arizona, and then finally returning to Los Angeles. I rose through the ranks of college coaching as a women's basketball coach at the Division I, II, and III levels as well as spending time in Division I and II of the NAIA. At each school along the way I was busy coaching and teaching, and my all time favorite course to teach was the History of Sport in Society. My last coaching position was at the California Institute of Technology where I was both a coach and teacher.

Along the way I earned a second bachelor's in history from CSU Northridge, a Masters in coaching from Concordia Irvine, and a Doctorate in Education from Northcentral University. As college sports began to veer away from being about the student athlete experience and learning opportunities, I had to make decisions about where my career was headed. College sports had become solely about winning, and the student athlete was getting lost in it all and becoming less about the "student" and too much about the "athlete". I needed to write a dissertation and I was truly missing being in education for the right reasons. I decided to step away from the university level and get back to my roots, making a difference in the education of students.

Before I got that very first college coaching job way back when, I was planning to head back to California and get a teaching credential because I had always wanted to be a history teacher.

I arrive in the Great Central Valley originally as an Athletic Director and History teacher in another district. I got a chance to be a part of the famed Clovis Unified and I jumped at the chance. I look forward to being a part of the Clovis East Wolfpack! While I am still getting my bearings in the high school environment, I am far from new to the classroom and look forward to exploring history with my students this year!

I live in the Clovis East attendance area so you may see me at the grocery store or at Jersey Mike's grabbing a #6 on wheat...yumm!

A few things about me...

  • I have two four-legged children - two black pugs named Dunk and Julep. I may like my friends, but I love my dogs!
  • My absolute favorite time period in US history is the Gold Rush era.
  • I have a 3rd brown belt in Kenpo Karate.
  • Going to the archives in Dawson City and learning more about the Gold Rush is on my bucket list!
  • I once knew how to do an Eskimo Roll in a kayak. Haven't done it is years though!
  • I have run 15 marathons, 12 half marathons, and 5 sprint distance triathlons - yeah it was when I was a bit younger, but my first one wasn't until I was 30 years old!
  • I know seven Nobel Laureates and have a signature basketball they all autographed!