Founder & History

Nationally recognized trainer Lillie P. Allen founded Be Present, Inc. and developed the Be Present Empowerment Model to support the development of a diverse national network of women and girls committed to changing their circumstances, and leading social change efforts within their families and communities. Her groundbreaking workshop, “Black & Female: What is the Reality?” was presented at the 1st National Conference on Black Women’s Health Issues in 1983 at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Following the conference, the workshop served as a primary organizing tool of the National Black Women’s Health Project, and was the catalyst for Black women to come together to develop actions designed to improve their lives, and that of their families and communities.

In 1988, a group of African-American women, trained as support group facilitators, invited other women of color and white women to participate in a Sisters & Allies Leadership Project. Thus began an 18-month training project that supported the development of a network of women and girls of all ages, classes and races, willing to work in a constructive and positive way on the issues of diversity. Twenty-two women from across the country answered the call for this first training which formed the foundation for Be Present, Inc.

The organization was incorporated and received its tax-exempt status in 1992.

Lillie Allen serves as the executive director of Be Present, Inc. She is a consultant to the Pettus-Crowe Foundation and a member of the National Network of Grantmakers Women’s Caucus. Lillie has been involved in public health education for over twenty years, and has a broad background in human development, interpersonal relations, group dynamics, and the interconnections and conflicts between work, home and personal goals.

She established the Lillie Allen Institute, Inc. in 1989, expanding her work to include training and development consultations for corporations, education and medical institutions, and government agencies.

A partial listing of Lillie Allen’s consultations includes:

Organizational Development
Tellus Communications, Canadian Pacific Limited, Procter & Gamble Corp., National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League, National Hispana Leadership Institute, and Congregation Bet Haverim.

Program Analysis & Design
City of Oakland, Riverside Methodist Hospital, National Network of Grantmakers, New Leaf Distributing Company, and DuPont Corporation

Diversity Training
Atlanta History Center, GE Capital, Threshold Foundation, Northwestern University, National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer, and Georgia Perinatal Case Management Association.

Internationally, Lillie Allen introduced her training process at the End Decade Conference on Women, Nairobi, Kenya; University of the West Indies, Barbados, West Indies; and Rural Women’s Leadership Project, Belize, Central America.

Lillie holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, where her educational concentration was in community organizations and school and community education.