Marilyn Hemingway is the CEO/President and Founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, a business membership organization whose mission is to raise global awareness, profitability, and sustainability of African American businesses in the Gullah Geechee community. Marilyn received her Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of South Carolina and is a certified Impact Economics Consultant (College of Charleston) and a registered fundraiser with the state of South Carolina. She presently serves as co-chair of the Environmental, Energy and Climate Justice committee of the SC Conference of the NAACP and as 2nd Vice President of the Georgetown NAACP Branch #5520.  In 2020, she received the Harriet Keyserling Green Tie Award for Conservation Advocacy from the Conservation Voters of South Carolina.

Marilyn is a native of Georgetown and her maternal family hails from Beaufort, Hampton, Bamberg and Charleston counties and her paternal roots are found in Horry and Georgetown counties.