Our Why

Marla J. Albertie has lived on board a United States carrier therefore, she feels she is unstoppable. As a native of Jacksonville, Florida she loves to read, travel, and shop. Many of her travels have been on cruises as she has taken 16 thus far. Marla believes life is a journey and we all can create the life we want so why not; you only live this life once. She has a passion to see growth in peoples’ lives and wants others to pay it forward.

As an energetic visionary, she is the owner and founder of the  TruthSpeaksGroup LLC , a multi media company that creates strategies and solutions for work-life integration/harmony (WLI/H). She is also the founder of MJA Notary Services LLC., MJA Publishing LLC., and JEMA Holdings LLC.

Being the founder of I/O for Teens Inc. is her greatest work yet!

Marla doesn’t believe in work-life balance as she believes all areas of our lives can be integrated and we can create harmony in our lives by means of I/O Psychology and Positive Psychology methodologies.

Marla’s mantra is to #TeachTrainEducate working woman who desire to understand their truth and live a life of success defined on their own terms.

Marla’s one-word philosophy is #Learn.

Therefore creating I/O for Teens Inc. was a no-brainer!

Marla is a certified professional career, executive, and life coach, trainer APTD (Associate Professional in Training and Development), Certified Chief Happiness Officer, Certified Positive Psychology Practitioner, Director of HR, Instructor, of Psychology, Amazon Best Selling author, and has over 25 years of business, coaching, and training experience.

Marla holds a Master of Education in Adult Education, Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management, and an Associates of Science in Financial Services. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Marla loves speaking, teaching, and writing. Among the many ventures she is involved in here are just a few: The founder of the Motivational Movement K.I.M. (Keep it Moving), Truth Speaks Academy, an annual Women’s Empowerment Conference. I.M.A.G.IN.E. (I’M Awesome Growing IN Excellence), YouTube Channel featuring the talk show Creating Your Career with Marla J. Albertie which has 36 episodes, and blog TheWorkingWoman.co. She has also published two books and co authored a third.

Marla is an active member of the Junior League of Jacksonville, ATD, SIOP, SHRM, Blacks in I/O, APA, ICF, IPPA, and NAHSE. She is also a Well-being and Data Literacy champion at Mayo Clinic.

When she is not trying to save the world, Marla loves a good story and frequents the movies to eat her favorite movie snack, nachos. She loves spending time with her family and friends cruising, shopping, and reading.

Monica Albertie, a Houston, Texas native, is an Assistant Professor in Health Care Administration and the Director of Research Operations for Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) and Community Engagement in Research (CEnR) at a national health care organization. Ms. Albertie has a passion for engaging and empowering communities to be fierce advocates for their own well-being. She has an extensive background in community outreach and engagement, curriculum development, operations and financial management, health equity research, and qualitative/quantitative research methodology. She is a co-founder of the Minority Women in Research Network, which is a group of minority women scientists dedicated to increasing and promoting community and patient engagement in health-related research.

Monica received her undergraduate degree in Health Care Management from Florida A& M University. She attended graduate school at the University of Florida where she obtained her Master’s in Health Administration. In her spare time, Monica loves spending time with her family, volunteering in her community, traveling abroad, reading and writing.

She lives by her favorite quote:

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”.—Walt Disney.”

Dr. Jamila Donnal, Pharm.D, a Jacksonville native, is an assistant professor of medical education and an instructor of pharmacy within a national health care system. She currently serves as the Operations Manager for medical education.

She received her Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2003 and completed post-graduate training and worked and has worked as a director of pharmacy programming. Dr. Donnal has previous experiences in quality, operations, leadership, innovation, safety, curriculum development and clinical practice.

Dr. Donnal is currently involved in initiatives related to community engagement for learners and is involved in multiple national organizations related to healthcare. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, creating new recipes and learning.

Dynamic as they come, Rachel is a go getter. She was Born in Oakland, California but calls Jacksonville, Florida her home. As our Chief of Staff, Rachel makes sure the board is on point with our to-do lists and she keeps the team focused. She is also our social media content guru. If we need it done, Rachel is the one to get it done. Rachel has a vast background of customer service, administrative, organizational development, and leadership skills.

She also has a great interest in the technology, so you can call her a techie. Rachel’s favorite hobbies are traveling, reading, and DIY projects. In her spare time she loves spending time with family and friends and desires to start a big family with her husband one day.

Erin Kendrick is an international artist and arts educator from Jacksonville, Florida. She has exhibited work in museums, galleries and alternative spaces throughout the United States and abroad. After receiving her formal art training at Florida State University (BFA, Studio Art, 1999) and Georgia State University (MFA, Drawing & Painting, 2003), she worked for many years as a Studio Artist and Arts Educator in Atlanta, Georgia before relocating back home.

Erin is the Director of Education and Lead Visual Art Instructor at Jacksonville Arts & Music School and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Visual Arts at Flagler College. She was named the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s 2019 Art Educator of the Year and in 2018, she was voted Best Visual Artist, Best Art Exhibition, and Best Arts Educator in Folio Weekly’s Best of Jax 2018 poll.

She has won several grants including the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum Artist Residency, the Moving the Margins Artist Residency, and the Community First Foundation Art Ventures Individual Artist Grant. Erin maintains an art studio at CoRK Arts District. She also runs, “Artists Types”, a writing service that helps practicing artists with career advancement by providing workshops, mini-courses, and templates for CV writing, artist statements, proposals, and more.

As an educator she lives by Elbert Hubbard’s quote, “Art is not a thing. It is a way.”