Marline Francois-Madden, PhD, LCSW

Dr. Marline Francois Madden is the Founder of  Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center,  phenomenal public speaker, best-selling author of The State of Black Girls, and Professor. With over 18 years of clinical experience, she has become a sought-after expert in mental health, trauma, self-care, and girls leadership. Marline has shared her expertise at dozens of universities, colleges, community organizations, and conferences— including the Congressional Black Caucus for Women and Girls. She was named by the White House as a Nominated Changemaker at the State of the Women summit during the Obama administration and the 2020 FORBES Next 1000 List. Marline has a BA in Psychology from Penn State University, MSW from Rutgers University and completed her PhD at Montclair State University in Family Science and Human Development. Her research focuses on the racialized experiences of Black girls and mental health. Marline was recently named by the NASW as 2020 "Social Worker of the Year."