Organization Structure
Board of Directors
Dr. Jackie Broadway
PRESIDENT & CEO
The Purple Lillie Foundation was founded in March 2023 by Jackie Broadway-Duren, PhD, DNP, FNP-BC. Dr. Broadway-Duren is a native of Monroe, LA who was later recruited and relocated to Houston, TX by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2001. During her employment at MD Anderson Dr. Broadway-Duren encountered many Leukemia patients who also had underlying or concurrent autoimmune disease.
Sonya B Allen, DNP, WHNP-BC
DIRECTOR
Dr. Sonja L. Allen is a board certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She earned her BSN from Georgia State University in 2001 and her MSN in Nursing Education from Drexel University in 2005. Upon graduating with her BSN, she immediately began her residency at Northside Hospital, on the High-Risk Perinatal Unit. With over 15 years of clinical experience in women’s health, realizing her desire to educate and teach future nurses, Sonja began her career in higher academia. Specializing in maternal & child health, she has had the opportunity to teach in a variety of settings which includes distance learning, lecture, simulation and clinical. Dr. Allen is passionate about issues affecting minority women's health and pregnancy outcomes. Her goal is to practice and provide service and education tailored to meet the health needs of Black women and other minorities.
Keisha N Billups
DIRECTOR
Keisha Billups is an educator in the sixth largest school district in Florida, Duval County Schools in Jacksonville, Florida. She has proudly educated and advocated forstudents from all walks of life including students with learning disabilities and special needs throughout her career.
A graduate of Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical University in Baton Rouge, LA, Keisha has also worked in higher education in the division of Health Sciences as well as Student services at two major universities in Georgia and South Carolina. During her stint in higher education is where she discovered her passion for working with students, but decided she wanted to a more hands-on approach to academia and went into the field of teaching.
Prior to joining the Purple Lillie Foundation, Keisha worked with the Make A Wish Foundation in North Florida and Central Location advocating and working to grant wishes for deserving children. She is also a member of the National Educators Association.
Keisha is a proud mother of two daughters and one son and currently resides in the Jacksonville, Florida area with her husband, Reverend Mariko Billups.
Yolanda Aldridge, MBA
SECRETARY
Yolanda Y. Aldridge was born and raised in Houston, TX. She is a first-generation graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Texas Southern University and an MBA from Louisiana State University. She is also a certified Master Life Coach with additional life coach certifications including Professional, Life Purpose, Happiness and Goal Success.
Yolanda was affected by Lupus as early as 2010, but was not diagnosed until late 2012. As a result of the delayed diagnosis of this extremely complex disease, she became passionate about sharing her experiences with others. Her intentions for the Purple Lillie Foundation include educating minority communities to aid in expediting auto-immune diagnoses, promoting positive relationships and mentoring newly diagnosed individuals, and providing support to family members caring for and living with lupus patients
Darshe Edge, MD
DIRECTOR
Dr. Darshe Edge is a Medical Director for Post-Acute Care Management at United Health Care with Optum Home and Community. Prior to her current position, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at UT McGovern Medical School in Houston Texas. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology at Cornell University in Ithaca NY. She completed her Doctorate of Medicine degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston Texas. Dr. Edge completed a Masters in Clinical Science at UTMB and wrote her thesis on prostate cancer screening in the Medicare population. She completed residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. She is board certified in the specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. In her career she has delivered the highest level of rehabilitation care for those with neurological and traumatic injuries including strokes, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and multiple traumas. She is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPMR). In her spare time, Dr. Edge enjoys playing tennis, mentoring kids, and walking nature trails.
Dr. Edge joined became a board member of The Purple Lillie Foundation to help organize and bring awareness to autoimmune disorders that disproportionally affect underserved and minority communities. She has a passion for teaching, promoting awareness, and providing resources that help improve the medical outcomes of individuals affected by lupus and sarcoidosis.
MADELINE HUDSON
DIRECTOR/TREASURER
An experienced Branch Manger/Fraud Specialist with over 20+ years of sales, management, and financial service indus.
Results oriented, excel in fast paced environments that help increase productivity and company profitability.
Have strong sale, management and customer service skills work well both independently and in groups. Very excited about the next
Chapter in my life and look forward to supporting the Purple Lillie Foundation.
Foundation Advisors