Marilyn Geller's thirty-year career in the world of textiles traces two distinct arcs. The first, a personal journey from east coast to west --- and back again. The second, a professional transformation: from textile artist to commercial designer and business consultant.

Marilyn's start began in Vermont as an apprentice to a renowned local textile artist. Marilyn then headed west where she received a BFA in textile arts from the California College of the Arts and an MA in textile arts from San Francisco State University. While in California, she also achieved mastery in the techniques of classical French tapestry weaving. After having immersed herself in the Bay Area's thriving arts scene and exhibiting her work nationally, Marilyn relocated to New York, where her interests turned to industry. In 1988, she joined Designtex where she served as director of custom fabric development and later as director of design. In January 2002, Marilyn launched Geller Consulting. Re-branded as Flipside Materials in 2006, this New York City base consultancy specializes in design, product development and business strategy for the contract surface materials industry. Her distinctive designs are represented in the collections of major contract textile distributors throughout the US. As a designer deeply interested in sustainability-related issues, Marilyn has also spent the last several years developing a high-performance, PVC-free alternative to vinyl wallcovering.

Ms. Geller serves as chair of the Environmental committee for the Association for Contract Textiles (ACT). She is also a member of the ACT/GreenBlue/NSF task force, which is in the process of developing an ANSI Certified sustainable textile standard.