He holds a B.A. in psychology and a minor in economics from Morehouse College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan. Marks was an assistant professor of psychology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago from 2000 to 2004. In addition to being a faculty member at Morehouse, he is also a faculty associate with the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Marks is also an associate minister at Thankful Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, GA.