Marcus Allen's Story
CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region
Marcus Allen became the first African American CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence (BBBSI), in its celebrated 100-year history. It is the largest one-to-one mentoring program in Pennsylvania and the third largest in the country. Marcus’s work has garnered prestigious awards including the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEO.” As a thought leader and panel expert, he has appeared on CNN, Oprah Winfrey and various local and national news shows. Marcus Allen has been invited as the keynote speaker to fortune 500 companies such as Bank of America, Deloitte and others.
Marcus Allen's Mission
When Allen was only nine years old, he met his lifelong coach and mentor. That man laid the foundation for him to attend college and escape poverty. Since then, Allen’s mission has been to break these prevalent cycles our youth are facing through ongoing innovation and collaboration in quality youth mentoring programs and relationships.Although, Mr. Allen’s influence reaches far beyond Big Brothers Big Sisters. Mr. Allen is a respected community leader and outspoken advocate of amplifying social justice and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. For this reason, he is a sought-after keynote speaker on a variety of topics and has appeared numerous times on local and national television networks.