Madalena DeAndrea is a compelling voice in the conversation around school safety, resilience, and trauma-informed leadership. Her dynamic presentations empower students, educators, and administrators to proactively navigate crisis, recovery, and mental wellness with confidence and clarity. By blending real-world experience with practical strategies, Madalena helps organizations move beyond fear toward a culture of preparedness and emotional strength. Her message resonates deeply with audiences seeking not just awareness, but meaningful, actionable change.
WHY
Book
Madalena
FOR YOUR EVENT?
“One of the most unique and inspiring voices in school safety today, Madalena DeAndrea shares her personal and lived experiences with a kind of bravery and pure intention few people can come close to demonstrating in their lifetime. From growing up as the daughter of a police officer to surviving a deadly mass shooting, DeAndrea reflects thoughtfully on her own heroic journey forward, finding purpose in pain and healing through helping. Nowa lauded public speaker, Madalena delivers powerful inspiration and practical takeaways to all who hear her message.”
—Michele Gay, Founder & Executive Director , Safe and Sound Schools
WHO
Books
Madalena
?
Madalena’s expertise makes her a valuable speaker for schools and organizations seeking to foster resilience, emotional preparedness, and a culture of safety. Her unique approach equips communities to respond to trauma with strength and purpose while promoting proactive strategies for mental wellness and crisis recovery.
Recent audiences include:
Jeffco Public Schools
FBI National Academy at Quantico
Safe and Sound Schools Virtual National Summit on School Safety
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
Add your school or organization to the list of those inspired by Madalena - book her today!
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TO BRING
Madalena
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SPEAKER
Topics Include
Safety & Security
Culture, Climate, & Community
Operations & Emergency Management
Violence prevention Strategies
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Active Shooter Preparedness & Response
Recovery & Resilience After Trauma
Turning Pain into Purpose
Lessons Learned from Tragedy
Signature
PRESENTATIONS
Click on the titles to learn more about each signature presentation and fill out the form below to book for your next event.
A Hero's Daughter; A Survivor's Journey
What if the skills that help us survive life's darkest moments can be learned long before
crisis ever occurs?
In this unforgettable keynote, resiliency advocate, active shooting survivor, Director of
School Safety, and nationally recognized speaker Madalena DeAndrea shares the
extraordinary journey that shaped her understanding of resilience. From growing up as
the daughter of a law enforcement leader who helped redefine America's response to
school shootings to surviving the 2018 mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in
Thousand Oaks, California, her story is a powerful testament to the strength of the human
spirit.
Rather than focusing solely on tragedy, Madalena reveals the protective factors, practical
skillsets, and powerful mindsets that prepared her to respond under unimaginable
circumstances and ultimately fueled her journey of post traumatic growth. Blending
deeply personal storytelling with evidence-informed resilience strategies and lessons
learned from years of leading school safety and preparedness initiatives, she
demonstrates that resilience is not something we are born with. It is something we
intentionally build.
Audience members will leave inspired and equipped with practical tools to strengthen
themselves, support the people they love, and cultivate more resilient families,
workplaces, and communities before crisis ever occurs. Through hope, authenticity, and
actionable insights, Madalena reminds us that while we cannot always choose what
happens to us, we can choose how we prepare, how we respond, and who we become in
the aftermath.
Resilience Readiness: Preparing for Post-Traumatic Growth
In this interactive and practical session, resiliency advocate, active shooting survivor,
Director of School Safety, and nationally recognized speaker Madalena DeAndrea explores
how individuals and communities can intentionally build protective factors before crisis
occurs.
Madalena breaks down what protective factors are, how they function in everyday life, and
why they are essential in shaping outcomes during moments of extreme stress and in
supporting healing in the aftermath. Drawing from both her lived experience as a survivor
of the 2018 Borderline Bar & Grill active shooting and her professional expertise in school
safety, she translates the often overwhelming work of preparing for crisis into clear,
actionable steps that can be applied immediately in personal, professional, and
community settings.
At the center of this session are Madalena’s five guiding questions, designed to help
individuals, teams, and organizations identify, strengthen, and actively build protective
factors in advance of crisis. These questions create a practical framework for reflection and
action, focused on readiness, connection, and resilience long before adversity occurs.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how protective factors are
developed, how they can be strengthened over time, and how intentional choices today
can significantly influence safety, stability, and resilience in the future, strengthening the
potential for post-traumatic growth in the aftermath.
Dark Nights of the Soul: When Terror Hits Home
Deputy Chief AJ DeAndrea (Retired) was in a leadership role in three school shootings
that changed the fabric of American society and police response to active shootings
around the world. He takes a deep dive into these tragic events and more importantly
analyzes the positive things that came from them in decision making, improved tactics,
and mental health practices.
Most importantly, he is accompanied by his oldest daughter, Madalena DeAndrea, who
survived the Borderline active shooting incident in Thousand Oaks, CA in 2018. Madalena,
a current Director of School Safety with Jeffco Public Schools Department of School
Safety in Colorado shares how the protective factors she learned growing up the daughter
of a law enforcement officer, ultimately saved her life. She shares her insights as a survivor
of an active shooting, and her choice to experience post-traumatic growth following an
experience of evil.
AJ and Madalena passionately speak from the perspective of having been inside the
building during the aforementioned active shootings. These events have led to the
creation of their Eight Pillars of Preparedness that can help prevent active shootings from
occurring or help stop and manage them more effectively if one is to kick off in your
jurisdiction.
Through the Eyes of a Survivor: A Retrospective Threat Assessment of the
Borderline Shooter
In this powerful and deeply reflective session, resiliency advocate, active shooting survivor,
Director of School Safety, and nationally recognized speaker Madalena DeAndrea
examines the 2018 Borderline Bar & Grill shooting through the lens of modern behavioral
threat assessment.
Madalena reviews the shooter’s background, known risk factors, and behavioral indicators
leading up to the attack, as well as key actions during the incident. She then places this
analysis alongside her own lived experience, highlighting the protective factors that
shaped her response and ultimately contributed to her survival.
By comparing these two parallel paths, Madalena helps audiences understand how risk
factors can escalate without intervention, and how protective factors can change
outcomes. This session provides practical insight into early warning signs, prevention
strategies, and the importance of building stronger protective environments in schools,
workplaces, and communities.
Testimonials
“[Madalena DeAndrea’s keynote] was my favorite part of the conference. It truly was one of the most impactful things I have ever heard.”
—Student, Jeffco Public Schools
Speaker
BIOGRAPHY
Madalena DeAndrea is an active shooting survivor, resiliency advocate, and the oldest daughter of Deputy Chief AJ DeAndrea (retired). The backdrop of Madalena’s childhood was her father’s historic law enforcement career which included serving in a leadership role in three school shootings that changed the fabric of American society and police response to active shootings around the world.
A Colorado Native, Madalena received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Strategy from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2018. During her time at CU, she served as Student Body President for her 30,000 classmates which gave her the unique opportunity to directly manage a $24 million budget, lead a 500-person organization, speak to crowds of 8,000+ people, and work with world leaders like His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Following her undergraduate studies, Madalena worked for a non-profit in Los Angeles, CA. While serving in this role she went out for a night of dancing with her friends at Borderline Bar and Grill and the unthinkable happened - a gunman came in and started shooting. Using the skillsets and mindsets she learned growing up, Madalena was able to find safety in the attic above the bar where she stayed for the remainder of the tragedy as 12 people, including responding Police Officer Sgt. Ron Helus, were killed.
After surviving the Borderline tragedy, Madalena made a choice to not let evil win and to be a force for good in the world.
After serving for four years as an Emergency Management Specialist for Jeffco Public Schools, the School District she grew up in, Madalena now proudly serves as the Senior Manager of Strategic Projects, Recovery, & Resiliency for Jeffco. In this first-of-its-kind position, Madalena supports the proactive implementation of strategic safety initiatives and recovery planning prior to crisis occurring. She is a certified Threat Liaison Officer for the state of Colorado and is trained in CPTED, CIT, FEMA’s Incident Command Series and Professional Development Series, and Single Officer Response to an Active Shooter.
In her spare time, Madalena travels the country telling her story and sharing her message of hope, resiliency, and post-traumatic growth with law enforcement agencies, school districts, businesses, and community organizations. Madalena is passionate about empowering individuals and communities with the mindsets and tools needed to build resiliency even in the face of life’s uncertainties!