Dr. Marie Elizabeth Sushka obtained her undergraduate degree from Sweet Briar College, where she was elected to the Society of Phi Beta Kappa. She later obtained a master's in Russian Area Studies, a master's degree in Economics, and a Ph.D. degree in economics, all from Georgetown University.

She was initially employed by the Rand Corporation, conducting analysis in the field of Soviet Naval Strategy, and subsequently served as an Economist in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington D.C. She later served on the faculties of the University of Georgia, Boston University, and Georgia Institute of Technology, before accepting the position at ASU.

Professor Sushka came to ASU as a full Professor of Finance at the W. P. Carey School of Business in 1984 at a time when women full professors in finance were exceedingly rare. She was a dedicated and creative researcher in the fields of finance and economics. She published four books and more than 50 peer reviewed articles, many of which appeared in the profession's most prestigious, leading journals, including the Journal of Finance and the Journal of Financial Economics. She was a nationally and internationally known scholar in the areas of banking, financial markets, corporate governance, and private equity. 

She was a Distinguished Scholar on the Dean's Council of 100 at ASU, a Distinguished Visiting Research Scholar at the HEC Business School, Paris, and a visiting professor at the Institute of Finance, University of Paris.

She transferred to emerita status at ASU in 2020. She was a resident of Tempe and Paris.

She was named the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund Visiting Scholar in Hong Kong for 1998. She was also appointed as a member of the Arizona State Compensation Fund Investment Committee by Governor Bruce Babbitt in 1984. 

She was a dedicated researcher and her most important research was in the interface between corporate finance and financial activity. The extraordinary volume of her top tier publications in financial economics placed her near the very top of the lists of productive female scholars in finance. Professor Sushka was a dedicated and popular teacher for undergraduate and graduate students alike. She was genuinely interested in her students, spending considerable time with them, giving them advice on their studies and on life in general. She often kept in contact with them long after they had graduated. 

She is survived by her loving husband of 52 years, Myron Slovin, her sister-in-law and her nephew. 

Her beloved brother Peter predeceased her. 

No public services are planned in the United States.