Executive Team

Johnny Allen

Executive Director, A STEP UP, INC.

Johnny T. Allen is CEO of Allen Leadership Group, LLC, a motivational training and consulting company.   Johnny currently, serves as the Executive Director of A STEP UP, INC., (Athletic Symposium to Elevate Professionals & Uplift Performance).  A STEP UP Symposiums equip coaches with information to build elite championship level programs by helping them discover new coaching insights and develop strategies to help them reach their full coaching potential.

Johnny is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and holds certifications in “Teambuilding, Group Initiative and Leadership Development through Experiential Based Learning” from Winthrop University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  A student of organizational effectiveness and his craft, Johnny has obtained several certifications including: The DiSC Facilitation System, Coaching for Success, Crucial Confrontations, Situational Leadership, and Cultural Diversity.  He also uses other instruments such as The Color Code Personality.  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, designed to assist teams in improving their productivity and team chemistry.

Mr. Allen’s engaging presentation style has made him a highly sought-after trainer, facilitator and key note speaker at a wide variety of national conferences and conventions reaching senior managers, leaders, coaches, student athletes and administrators across the nation.  A few of his clients have included:  The United States Olympic Committee (Administrative/Technical Assistance Strategic Planning & Leadership Development); 100 Black Men of America National Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada (Presented on the Disproportionality of African American Males); and The US Virgin Islands Court System (Creating a Shared Vision Training).  Other notable clients have included The Community Partnership of Southern Arizona and The State of California Department of Probation and Parole.

As a senior consultant for Felicia Hall Allen & Associates, Johnny has co-facilitated Team Building & Leadership Development sessions for the NFL and several teams in many athletic conferences including the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 12 and SEC.

Some of Mr. Allen’s work experiences have included: Winthrop University’s (WINGS) Program Coordinator, York Technical College Student Support Services, Rock Hill High School (Basketball, Track & Cross-Country Coach), and South Region (PTI) Technical Assistance Coordinator (providing technical assistance training and support to twenty-three (23) federally funded (PTI) programs in thirteen (13) states) and many of North Carolina low performing schools. Currently, Mr. Allen travels the nation providing Leadership Development, Management Training and Creating a Shared Vision Retreats.

A community leader and advocate, currently, Mr. Allen is consulting with the ROC (Renew Our Community) a non-profit agency in his home town Rock Hill, SC serving his neighbors experiencing emergency hardships of living without clothes, food, housing, and/or electricity.  He is also a contributing author for the North Carolina Department of Public Health Cultural Diversity Curriculum for Health Disparities and Author of “Are You in The Game Fathers” using sports analogies for Fathers engagement in children’s education.

Johnny Allen resides in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  He is the proud father of Dr. Johnna Allen Frierson and Jeremy Allen. 

Felicia Hall Allen

Founder 

Felicia Hall Allen, CEO of Felicia Hall Allen & Associates, brings unique depth to specialties of leadership, team building, organizational development, executive coaching, and sports management. 

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, this former student athlete was fortunate enough to earn a basketball scholarship to The University of Iowa where she played for Hall of Fame Coach, C. Vivian Stringer. At Iowa, Felicia was conferred two degrees, one in Elementary Education and the other a Juris Doctorate from The University of Iowa, College of Law.

Felicia is a former Manager for NIKE'S Women's Basketball Sports Marketing department and a Team Executive for the WNBA Charlotte Sting. For several years she served as the Executive Director of Leadership America North Carolina - a statewide women's leadership organization. 

In addition to serving as an Organizational Development Consultant and Change Agent for several businesses, Felicia facilitates leadership development and team building trainings nationally. She regularly presents at national conferences, association meetings and on college campuses around the country.  Highly sought after, Felicia also works on various projects with the Federal Court System, Fortune 500 companies, NFL, NCAA, NBDL and the United States Olympic Committee.

Several years ago, Felicia began her sports management practice and represents college coaches as their sports agent.  Annually, she and her husband, Johnny Allen, host a nationally recognized professional development symposium (A Step Up) for college basketball assistant coaches and a Head Coaches Executive Leadership Academy.

Recognized as a national and local community leader, Felicia has received a number of recognitions including being awarded The Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Award presented by UNCF.  During the NCAA Final Four hosted in Nashville, Tennessee, the Advocates for Athletic Equity awarded her with its first ‘Woman of Impact Award.’  She was also honored as one of Charlotte’s ‘Women of Inspiration’ by the Girl Talk Foundation at their annual Pass the Purse Empowerment Tea. A Child’s Place acknowledged her as one of the "First Ladies of Charlotte." Felicia was named one of the Charlotte Post's People of Prominence and in 2004, was among the Charlotte Business Journal's Top 40 under 40.

Mrs. Allen currently serves as a board member for The Winning Edge and also serves as a member of the Carolinas HealthCare System Board of Advisors.  For several years Felicia served on the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors.  She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and The Crown Jewels (NC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.  She resides in Rock Hill, South Carolina with her husband, Johnny Allen, President of The Allen Leadership Group.