Marjorie Echols received a Bachelor of Arts in Art from WestConn in 1981. Before earning that degree, Echols took electives in several different areas with the ultimate intent of receiving a B.S.N. degree. However, the art electives proved to be of such interest, that she ended up being part of the first graphic design graduating class at WestConn.

After graduating, Echols went on to a career working with contemporary Danbury artists at the Downtown Gallery which rented art to area businesses and individuals and she owned The Art Store in Danbury which offered art classes, a frame shop, gallery and art supplies. Echols served on the board of the Richter Association for the Arts, was a founder of Still River Artists, and is a signature member of the National Acrylic Painters Association (works exhibited through the National Acrylic Painters Association are archived in the Tate Museum in London).

In addition, she combined her nursing background with her love of art as a certified psychiatric nurse. In this role she worked with Vietnam veterans at the West Haven Veterans Administration Hospital and the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She's also used art therapy to work with blind, deaf and physically impaired individuals

Echols has maintained close ties to WestConn and its art department and her collecting has been firmly rooted in the arts community of Danbury.