Meet our Keynote Speaker, Marline Francois-Madden, LCSW!

Return to Self: Homecoming Weekend 2023

Marline Francois-Madden, LCSW, is the CEO of Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center, bestselling author of The State of Black Girls: a go-to guide for creating safe spaces for Black girls, licensed therapist, speaker, real estate investor, and entrepreneur. She has over 15 years of experience in the mental health field and has become a sought-after expert in mental health, youth development, self-care, and leadership. Marline has shared her expertise at dozens of universities, colleges, community organizations, churches, and conferences. Mindfully intersecting the connections between black girls, policy, and mental health, Marline is a pivotal force who makes it her mission to create equity in black mental health with the astute awareness that equity and equality are not the same things.

Marline holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Penn State University and a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University-Newark. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. at Montclair State University with a focus on Family Scieces and Human Development. She is writing her dissertation on examining the impact of mental health among Black adolescent girls with a focus on Black Feminist Thought. She was named the 2020 Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers-New Jersey chapter and was recently honored on a Forbes Next 1000 List of Entrepreneurs. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Essence, ABC, CBS, Hot 97, Therapy for Black Girls, WebMD, and dozen of media platforms regarding her expertise on Black girls' mental health.

Marline is an active public servant in her community and serves as a board advisory council for TheAcademy365 non-profit for Black boys, and on the leadership committee for Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Marline resides in New Jersey with her husband and son and enjoys traveling, drinking coffee, gardening, and going to brunch. Marline lives by the motto that her home will always be her first priority.

Learn More

Meet our Farewell Event Speaker, Dr. Brandi Allen, DHA, MHA!

Return to Self: Homecoming Weekend 2023

Dr. Brandi Allen is a fellowship trained healthcare executive with 15+ years of progressive management experience in healthcare administration. She currently serves in the role of Assistant Vice President of GME & UME at WellStar Health System. In this role, Dr. Allen oversees the day-to-day operations of the Office of Academic Affairs, managing the GME, UME, Academic Partnerships, The WellStar Center for Healthcare Simulation , Library Services, Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Nursing Education departments. Brandi was instrumental in the development of the office of Academic Affairs which trains nearly 275 residents/fellows annually, while placing over 10,000 students with 300,000 contact hours a year. Dr. Allen leads a multi-disciplinary team to develop and execute strategy around major academic partnerships, accredited training programs, and pipeline initiatives to advance WellStar’s academic enterprise goals. A native of Charleston, SC, Brandi is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior and holds both a Masters and Doctorate in Healthcare Administration. Brandi has held numerous executive positions within healthcare organizations and is a proven leader in operational excellence, clinical outcomes, evidenced-based medical practice, adult education, and start-up programs. In 2012 Crain’s Detroit Business recognized Brandi as one of the 20 Executives in their 20’s, the first ever healthcare recipient. Brandi is a wife and a mother of three beautiful children, who is personally devoted to community outreach and service in both her professional and personal life.