Marjorie Sanfilippo earned her B.S. in psychology from Mary Washington College in 1987 and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Miami in 1993. Following an internship at UNC-Chapel Hill, she began teaching and conducting research at UNC-Charlotte. Dr. Sanfilippo arrived at Eckerd College in 2000 as an assistant professor of psychology and was awarded tenure in 2004. She was promoted to full professor in 2007, at which time she began serving in administrative roles, including Associate Dean for General Education. Today she is the Associate Dean of Faculty and the Executive Director of the Center for Academic Excellence.
Dr. Sanfilippo’s research has focused on children’s behaviors around firearms and the (in)effectiveness of firearm safety programs. Her research has been published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and in The Future of Children (David & Lucille Packard Foundation). She has also served as a consultant to the National Research Council, has testified before the legislature in Tallahassee against bills that would allow concealed carry on college campuses, and has appeared in the public media to discuss her research findings (20/20, Good Morning America, NPR).