Launch of Philadelphia’s 40th Anniversary Gala

• Home
• News • Events & Community Gatherings •
• Launch of Philadelphia’s 40th Anniversary Gala

Marcus Allen is a nationally recognized executive and builder with more than two decades of experience scaling mission-driven organizations, leading high-impact initiatives, and delivering measurable results across sectors. Marcus’s career combines operational excellence, strategic vision, and deep community credibility—skills he brings to every platform that seeks to drive growth, opportunity, and transformational impact.

Driven by a commitment to expanding access and unlocking human potential, Marcus has a proven track record of strengthening organizations and elevating their ability to serve more people, more effectively. As CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence (BBBSI), he reimagined a legacy institution for the modern era—expanding programs, establishing record revenue and reserves, launching new service lines, and driving organizational innovation that served more than 200,000 children and families across the Mid-Atlantic. Under his leadership, BBBSI became one of the top-performing affiliates in the 120-year national network, known for forging deep corporate partnerships and securing historic philanthropic support.

Marcus has raised in excess of $100 million in philanthropic and investment capital throughout his career, making him one of the most effective fundraisers and relationship builders in the region—an asset for organizations focused on long-term sustainability and scaling impact.

Beyond nonprofit leadership, Marcus’s operational expertise extends into high-growth organizational design, mergers and acquisitions, and multi-unit service delivery. As Chief Operating Officer of VisionQuest, he drove operational efficiency across multiple states, transformed performance outcomes, and led strategic expansions that strengthened programmatic reach and mission alignment.

Marcus’s leadership portfolio includes:

• Scaling teams and operations with a disciplined and mission-aligned approach • Navigating organizational transformation and strategic growth
• High-impact fundraising and stakeholder engagement across sectors
• Board governance experience with multi-million-dollar institutions

He currently serves on the boards of United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia’s Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), bringing deep insight into community systems and cross-sector collaboration.

A former U.S. Army National Guard soldier, Marcus approaches leadership with discipline, resilience, and mission focus. He also draws from his background as a professional athlete, having played basketball internationally, where he refined teamwork, perseverance, and performance under pressure.

Marcus’s work centers on empowering people and organizations to transcend barriers and seize opportunity—aligning directly with Launch of Philadelphia’s vision of launching Philadelphians to academic and career success.

Tara Loew has served as Director of the PA Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry since November 2020. Under her leadership, Pennsylvania’s apprenticeship system has expanded significantly in scale, quality, and national standing.

Since 2020, the ATO has grown from three to 24 full-time staff and strengthened both system expansion and compliance operations. In 2025, Pennsylvania supported more than 20,400 active registered apprentices, a 2% increase over the prior year. New registered apprenticeship programs increased from 42 in 2024 to 58 in 2025, a 38% year-over-year increase, and program growth has risen 222% since 2022. Pennsylvania programs now support more than 1,400 occupations, including 15 new occupations registered in 2025, seven of which were first in the nation. The average journeyworker wage across the top 20 apprenticed occupations is $39.26 per hour.

Pre-apprenticeship has also grown substantially. In 2025, 35 new pre-apprenticeship programs were registered, a 150% increase year over year, bringing the statewide total to 148 programs serving more than 3,200 active pre-apprentices. A total of 113 registered apprenticeship programs are now formally aligned with pre-apprenticeship pipelines.

Under Loew’s leadership, the ATO has managed more than $60.9 million in apprenticeship grant funding since 2020, supporting the creation of 177 new apprenticeship programs, expansion of 216 existing programs, and nearly 6,000 participants. The office has also strengthened quality assurance, completing 42 Provisional Reviews and 26 Compliance Reviews in 2025 alone.

Pennsylvania now leads Federal Apprenticeship Region 2 in active apprentices, new registrations, and completions, and ranks among the top states nationally in apprenticeship outcomes. Throughout her tenure, Loew has prioritized expanding apprenticeship into new sectors, strengthening partnerships with education and workforce systems, advancing equity and equal opportunity standards, and embedding apprenticeship as a central workforce strategy for the Commonwealth.

Prior to this role, Tara served as Director of Operations at PA CareerLink® Lancaster County, where she expanded youth programming and launched a Re-Entry Services Department. She previously worked in nonprofit workforce programming and as a secondary educator, bringing a longstanding commitment to equitable career pathways and systems-building to her leadership.

Liz Duffy is an education advocate and community leader who believes deeply in expanding access to high-quality education and skill development for all young people. She is passionate about ensuring that students—regardless of background—have the educational opportunities and practical skills they need to pursue meaningful careers and support themselves.

Liz currently serves as President of the Radnor Township School Board, where she is in her sixth year of service. During her tenure, she has worked to support strong public schools, responsible governance, and policies that promote both academic excellence and student well-being. She believes that investing in public education is one of the most important commitments a community can make—because when our schools thrive, our communities thrive.

Beyond her school board service, Liz is actively involved in organizations that expand educational opportunity. She serves on the board of Radnor’s A Better Chance, which provides high-achieving students from under-resourced communities with access to Radnor’s rigorous college-preparatory education. She also serves on the grant committee of the Radnor Educational Foundation, helping fund innovative programs that enrich learning and expand opportunities for students. In addition, Liz works as a counselor assisting students as they navigate the college admissions process.

Before dedicating her time to education and community service, Liz spent more than fifteen years working as a marketing and advertising professional in Manhattan and Philadelphia. She brings a strategic and collaborative leadership style to her work in education and nonprofit service.

Liz holds a BA in Economics from Boston College. She and her husband, Kevin, live in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania and are the proud parents of four children.