Scott Marlin, Hope Alliance Trustee

From a career as an Army officer to the early days of a grassroots humanitarian organization, Scott Marlin is quite familiar with working with other cultures in challenging environments.  Marlin recalls during a vision expedition to Uganda, “I watched a man put on the glasses I provided for him—his eyebrows went up, he flashed the most beautiful smile you'll ever see, and he hugged me.  No payment for services is better than that show of emotion!”

“The effect and the footprint of Hope Alliance is astonishing to me after 25 years”, says Marlin.  What started out in 1999 with nothing more than raw ambition and little indication about how it was going to survive, Marlin recalls meeting in friends’ homes at night planning trips to parts unknown.  This “guerrilla fashion” of planning expeditions to developing nations was exciting for him, as well as the others who dedicated time to getting Hope Alliance off the ground. The chance to be a part of international humanitarian relief quickly became a passion for Marlin.

As an attorney, Marlin was proud to be able to prepare and file the legal and organizational documents for Hope Alliance to become an official nonprofit organization.  In the early days, Marlin offered whatever he was able to do to help make the mission of Hope Alliance become a reality.  Besides the legal work, Marlin participated in several of the early expeditions to South America and Arizona.  Marlin says, “Those first projects were general medical missions with a wider focus on community health needs, but saw the heart and passion in [the founders], and watched the gathering local interest in the organization as it became focused on worldwide vision care.”

Marlin joined Hope Alliance’s Board of Trustees in 2024 and has big aspirations for the organization’s future. With his background and experience, he provides assistance and advice to the organization’s leadership and will ensure that Hope Alliance operations continue to run smoothly and effectively. Marlin plans to work with the Board to develop ideas for “sustaining the organization indefinitely, financially and strategically.”  

Marlin has lived in Park City for eight years, including six years from 1997 to 2003 and his return in early 2023. He is still employed full-time with the Department of Defense but says, “When I escape that bureaucracy, I enjoy travel, outdoor activities, art, and rock music. Notwithstanding all of that, my newest enterprise and devotion is my first grandson!”

Marlin believes that “we are only scratching the surface of the need. There is so much more that can be done here and everywhere in the world, and this organization has to make it happen.”