Marcia M. Etu grew up on Mears Meadows, a dairy of distinction owned and operated by her parents, Bill and Carol Mears. She is the second of four daughters. Marcia spent 13 years in the Hudson Falls School District, graduating with the Class of 1972. She has fond memories of playing bassoon in the band and orchestra, singing with the Choraliers, and serving as the pianist for a production of Godspell, under the direction of the ever encouraging Mrs. Cackener.
A graduate of Russell Sage College, Marcia was fully funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to pursue graduate work at the University of Rochester as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Subsequently, she was one of the first nurse practitioners to be registered in the State of New York.
She has been in private practice with Dr. Joel Solomon, serving children and adolescents in Hudson Falls, the surrounding communities, and the Hudson Falls and Hartford School Districts for the past 20 years. In addition, Marcia has been involved in clinical nursing education, at both the baccalaureate and graduate levels. She has served on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Skidmore College, the Regents External Degree Program, and the Sage Graduate School. She was the lead investigator of the first nursing research ever conducted at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital, and is currently piloting a study in pediatric asthma.
Marcia’s life is centered on her faith in Jesus Christ; she finds great joy in serving others. She is an elder and served many years as the Clerk of Session at the Bay Road Presbyterian Church. She is a member of Albany Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, and has volunteered with many local organizations. In 2005, she spearheaded the local Gulf Coast Mission, and continues to organize teams of volunteers and resources to help rebuild homes and lives devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Marcia is married to Dr. Paul Etu, a clinical psychologist with the State of New York. They have three sons, Eric, who works internationally in microfinance; Joshua, a research physicist in defense; and Nathan, a geographer with the U.S. Census Bureau.