Yvonne G. Allen, Member Emeritus

Local, state and national education leader
Director of Memphis-Shelby Field Service Center
University of Memphis,
Memphis, Tennessee

Yvonne Griggs Allen assumed her present position in 2003 and provides educational service to teachers, administrators, and parents for the city of Memphis and the state of Tennessee. Prior to this, Allen was principal of Whiteville Elementary School in Whiteville, Tennessee.

Allen's career as an educational leader is distinguished by the highest professional honors. During her tenure at Whiteville Elementary School, she developed the Basic Skills First Program to reinforce the regular reading and math curriculum in the K-8 school. With the involvement of parents and community, the school—which was once called the "Graveyard" because of students' low test scores and self-esteem—became the center of academic excellence. Allen's school earned recognition as a "Blue Ribbon School" by the U.S. Department of Education and was cited by Redbook among top-notch schools nationwide. Allen was recognized as a "National Distinguished Principal" for Tennessee by the U.S. Department of Education, recognized by the National School Safety Center as a "Principal of Leadership," and named an "American Hero in Education" by Reader's Digest.

Allen's professional involvement includes serving on several state and national education advisory committees and a leader in local civic activities including organizations such as the Optimist Club and Girl Scouts. In 1997, Yvonne Griggs Allen was elected president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, headquartered outside Washington, D.C. with a membership of 28,500 elementary and middle school principals.

Allen received a bachelor's degree from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, and earned her master's of education from Memphis State University. Allen began her career in education as a sixth-grade teacher.

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