Marlene Rose-Clarke was born in Jamaica and came to the United States at age ten. She was raised in Connecticut. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she obtained a bachelor's in marketing and business administration. She later earned her master's in communications at Fairfield University. She has worked in corporate America for many large corporations, including USA Today, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and Sprint.

As a young professional, she worked in advertising sales, with some of the most influential female executives in advertising. These women had a profound influence on her. She has a passion for multiculturalism and the empowerment of women.

She loves to travel and has been to several Caribbean islands, Europe, South and Central America. Marlene has lived in many intercultural environments. She loves reading and believes communication is the most important thing in the world because it can change lives. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, teenage daughter and son. Her thesis on Jamaican immigrants: perceptions of work, education, and cultural adaptation can be found in the Fairfield University Library.