With her gift for storytelling, Marilee is able to bring to life the remarkable stories of people she’s met in the developing world. She also shares the struggles of her own life and the challenges and victories of her faith journey. Above all, she offers hope.
Her speaking style has been described as passionate, engaging, transparent, and vulnerable. As World Vision president Rich Stearns notes with both truth and humor, “Whenever Marilee speaks, you want to bring some Kleenex—it gets a little weepy.”
“I have felt my own heart break as I have met mothers desperate to find a way to feed their starving children,” Marilee explains, “as I’ve watched children searching through trash heaps for scraps of food, and held in my arms children dying due to AIDS.”
While she speaks passionately about the impact of AIDS and poverty on the world’s children, she also  paints a compelling picture of hope—and shares how easy it is to make a difference.
“As we advocate for the rights of women and children who otherwise have no voice, we not only help transform their lives, but our own as well,” she says. “Discovering that we have the God-given power to make that kind of world-changing difference is one of life’s greatest joys and blessings.”
Also an accomplished writer, Marilee has authored four books, including an acclaimed account of her parents’ lives titled Man of Vision: The Candid, Compelling Story of Bob and Lorraine Pierce, Founders of World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse.
In addition to her work as a speaker and author, Marilee has hosted her own radio talk show and, along with her husband Bob, pioneered the adult singles ministry at The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California.