Marcia graduated from the University of Maryland in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Sciences and a minor in Journalism. She worked as a Realtor licensed in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia for over 20 years before she decided to make a career change.

As the former wife of a Navy Admiral, Marcia traveled throughout the world, exploring the history, culture and cuisine of each region she visited. She has entertained extensively and has taken cooking and wine appreciation classes both in the US and abroad. Marcia is a Chef and graduate of the Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Tourism Institute in Annapolis, Maryland.

In summer 2007 she participated in a culinary arts internship program on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Her blog, http://www.theadmiralschef.com chronicles her adventure. Her cookbook, “The Admiral’s Chef: Recipes from a Navy Wife’s World Travels,” was published in November, 2015 by St. Johann’s Press.

Marcia currently lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has three grown children: Gretchen Ki Steidle, President and founder of Circles for Conscious Social Change and author of the book “Living from Within;” Brian Steidle, former Capt, USMC and currently a Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State (author of the book & subject of the documentary “The Devil Came on Horseback”), and CDR Eric Steidle, (USNA ’04), US Naval Reserves, also a Foreign Service Officer.