UNIONDALE, N.Y., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Marquis Who's Who honors Leoma G. Gilley, PhD, as a linguist and author, acknowledging her unique achievements in biblical translation and literature. With nearly 50 years of professional experience, Dr. Gilley has made numerous contributions to her field. As she advances developments in writing systems and literature, her work continues to resonate worldwide.

Before Dr. Gilley began her professional career, she established academic foundations. She initially completed a Bachelor of Science in speech and language pathology and a Master of Arts in speech and language pathology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1971 and 1977, respectively. In 1988, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in linguistics from SOAS, University of London.

After completing her bachelor's degree, Dr. Gilley served as a speech therapist in two Georgia school systems. After pursuing her master's degree in the same field, she worked at a speech and hearing center in central Georgia. Once she became interested in Bible translation, she studied theoretical linguistics with SIL International and the University of Texas at Arlington, where she discovered a passion for linguistics.

Building a Connection with the Shilluk Language and People

Dr. Gilley's first assignment with SIL International was to study the language of the Shilluk people in southern Sudan under the Regional Ministry of Education. But first, she needed to learn Arabic, the national language of Sudan. After nine months, she moved to Malakal to begin her work with the Shilluk people. Shortly after her arrival, civil war broke out, and she was evacuated; however, she remained committed to learning the Shilluk language. To make sense of the language structure and sound system, she began PhD studies in England.

In 1989, having completed her degree, she returned to Khartoum with a goal of persuading 750,000 people to adopt a new writing system that would be easier to read. She describes the dedication of the Shilluk Bible in 2013 and evidence of people fluently reading the Bible as her most gratifying experience. It would not have been possible without the dedicated work of the many Shilluk people involved in the process.

On the day she left Sudan in 2004, a Sudanese colleague said, "What will we do without you? You have loved us." That reminded her of what her pastor had told her before she ever went to Africa. He said, "Whatever your job is, your primary goal is to love people; if you do, they will know it."

Building on these experiences, Dr. Gilley continued her work with SIL International as the director of training for sub-Saharan Africa for nine years. During that time, she established the Institute for the Development of Languages and Translation in Africa (iDELTA). The Institute provides one year of accredited bachelor-level study in both English and French for those involved in Bible translation, language survey, mother-tongue education and scripture engagement.

Ambition for the Future

More recently, Dr. Gilley has focused on creative efforts. In 2018, she founded Leoma's Books to make an impact through literature. In the next five to 10 years, she hopes to complete her five-book "Not How I Planned It" memoir series and to document the history of the iDELTA program. She expects this history to serve as a guideline for others who may want to set up similar opportunities.

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