Anne Marie held a variety of PR and strategic communications positions throughout her career, but her favorite job was creating and producing This Is My Brave. She found her passion and her mission – to help others share their stories – and made tremendous contributions to the organization from launching the initial concept to strategizing on growth and expansion over the four years of her tenure. Anne Marie’s sudden passing on August 23, 2017, was a shock to the many who loved her, and she is deeply missed.
Program & Communications Specialist
Marlon Deleon
Marlon (he/they) is a lot of things, and among them he is a husband, father, disabled Navy submarine veteran, retired grade school violinist, budding guitarist, aspiring writer, recovering alcoholic, and strives to love all neighbors. In 2016 he took the stage in Valparaiso, Indiana for his first This is My Brave Show. After that, his life was peaches and unicorns forever. Actually, in some ways, it was just the beginning. In 2017 he became a #GirlDad. 2018 made him a #BoyDad, and 2019 brought Marlon the diagnosis of Bipolar Type II. In 2021 Marlon shared more of his story in the virtual APIDA Community show, and he ecstatically joined the Brave staff in 2022. Marlon truly believes that #StorytellingSavesLives and he will never underestimate the importance of sharing the message that it’s ok to ask for help.
Executive Director
Erin Gallagher
Erin (she/her) is proud to be a part of the This is My Brave team as Executive Director. Following the suicide of her son, Jay, in 2016, Erin and her husband became passionate mental health advocates and have worked tirelessly to influence policy on appropriate responses, particularly in the public schools, to suicide warning signs. She enjoys working with the This Is My Brave team and volunteers towards ending the stigma associated with mental health and substance use conditions in honor of Jay. When Erin is not working, she enjoys spending time at her alma mater, James Madison University, visiting her oldest daughter, Lindsay, who is a nurse. She also loves logging hours with husband Tim while watching fast-pitch softball played by her youngest, Laurenne, who attends Mt St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg MD.
Founder
Jennifer Marshall
Jenn was diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder in 2006 at the age of 26. She’s had four hospitalizations within five years – two in 2005 before any diagnosis was reached, and two more because she was trying to protect her newborn son (postpartum psychosis) in 2008 and her unborn daughter in 2010 – and all were because she was unmedicated at the time. Writing her way through life with a mental illness became her way of healing, and her award-winning blog BipolarMomLife became an inspiration to many. Jenn created This Is My Brave because she learned first hand how powerful and therapeutic it was to live openly and not hide her diagnosis. She wanted to give brave individuals from the community a platform through which to creatively share their stories of living with mental illness to educate and inspire others. She lives outside Washington, DC with her husband and two children.
Development Consultant
Aaliyah Ogletree
Aaliyah joined This Is My Brave in 2023. She has worked in both the nonprofit and business sectors for over a decade. Aaliyah is a passionate advocate for mental health and human rights. Her own diagnosis of PSTD and anxiety and the stigmatization she faced inspired her interest in mental health advocacy. Aaliyah graduated from the University of New Orleans with a B.A. in Drama and Communications with a Minor in History. She is working on completing her Arts Administration thesis at Drexel University. Aaliyah is a native of New Orleans and has a great love for its culture, especially eating its cuisine like King Cake, crawfish, and gumbo. When she is and isn’t working, Aaliyah enjoys spending time with her two favorite people in the world, her daughters Taylor and Jordan.
Graphic Designer
Richard Tovell
Richard Tovell, a native Brit, got his start as the designer—really the entire graphic design department—for a company that created trade show displays, pop-up displays, and conference graphics. Since then, he has focused on museum exhibit design, creating graphics and interpretive projects for a variety of renowned venues. His work on the permanent visitors’ center at Rievaulx Abbey garnered him an Interpret Britain Award, and his exhibition designs for the Berkshire Museum and the Mount have been recognized with American Graphic Design awards from GD USA. When he’s not creating extraordinary exhibition displays, Richard loves to ski, take his kids to local museums and historic houses, and compare the cuisine of the various farm-to-table restaurants of the Berkshires.
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