Meet Director of Prevention & Intervention, Marvella Allen

Unite to Ignite: Celebrating Our Impact
National School Social Work Week Spotlight: Marvella Allen

During National School Social Work Week 2026, Pickerington Local Schools celebrates the professionals who help unite systems of support and ignite meaningful impact for students across our District.

For Director of Prevention & Intervention, Marvella Allen, MSW, LISW-S, her “why” begins and ends with students.

“My ‘why’ stands firmly in the students,” Allen shares. “It’s important to remember that students who need the most love sometimes ask for it in the most unloving ways. I make it my practice to believe in children so much that they eventually start to believe in themselves.”

Allen brings decades of experience to her role, having served as a school social worker in Columbus City Schools for 15 years and held four district leadership roles across three school districts. She oversees the work of the two school social workers in PLSD, Dr. Erica Magier and Melanie Poulson  , as well as a variety of district-level programs and initiatives that support students’ mental health, social-emotional growth, and overall wellbeing.

Her responsibilities include:

• Coordinating and supporting district-wide prevention and SEL programming (Second Step, Character Strong, Quaver Ready, 7Mindsets, ROX, and more)
• Overseeing Panorama Student Surveys and Success Platform
• Supporting the roll out of district initiatives such as Start with Hello, Say Something, Signs of Suicide programming, and Erin’s Law
• Enhancing mental health partnerships with community providers and agencies
• Providing district-level oversight of the School Social Work Intern and Substance Use Programs, strengthening processes and expanding service delivery, while supporting the direct program leadership
• Supporting building administrators, school counselors, and social workers in crisis response, suicide risk assessments, and behavioral interventions

Allen’s role directly impacts students through crisis support, suicide assessments, restorative circles, counseling referrals, and participation in student programs like ROX. Indirectly, she strengthens support systems across all 15 PLSD schools by guiding staff, standardizing procedures, and ensuring continuity of care for students and families.

For Allen, the most rewarding part of her work is the relationships she has built with her social work and counseling teams. “It feels good to work with a team of people you know you can depend on and who know they can depend on you,” she says.

She hopes the community understands that school social workers are licensed mental health professionals and essential members of the village that supports students. They provide individualized interventions and advocacy so students can thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and mentally.

Her approach to school social work can be summed up in three words: Integrity, Advocacy, Dedication.

This week, we celebrate Marvella Allen and the meaningful work she does to unite support systems and ignite growth, resilience, and hope in students, staff, and the community.