Yvonne Griggs Allen
Lane College | B.S. Education | 1973
Memphis State University | M.Ed. Education
Freed-Hardeman University | Ed.S. Leadership
Lane College alumna Dr. Yvonne Griggs Allen has spent decades helping countless underserved students receive the best possible education.
As the first African American principal in Hardeman County, Dr. Allen proved to be a trailblazer in her field, implementing programs and initiatives that transformed schools and the community.
Dr. Allen graduated from Lane College in 1973 with her bachelor’s degree, and just six years later earned the title of principal of Whiteville Elementary School at 28 years old. Many in the community referred to the school as ‘the graveyard.’ She devoted her entire first summer to the physical improvement of the building and grounds, and promoting the school through the local media, Allen convinced a previously disaffected community to stand behind its school.
Dr. Allen implemented programs to engage families and the community, promote staff development, and enhance schoolwide self-esteem. She also started the first of its kind in the community preschool intervention program and discipline program for at-risk students.
Dr. Allen’s work did not go unnoticed. The once troubled Whiteville Elementary was honored by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1993, a top award in the nation recognizing schools with overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among students. Because of her contributions, the National Association of Elementary School Principals honored Dr. Allen with the Outstanding Service Award in 1993 as well as 1995.
Dr. Allen has made it a priority to give back to the institution that gave her the foundation to begin her career in education. Every year, Lane College holds its Annual Spring Commencement Convocation. This past April, Dr. Allen presented a legacy gift to Lane College. She will also be inducted into the Jennie E. Lane Legacy Society. Established in 2017, the society represents donors who have contributed $100,000 or more to benefit Lane College.