ALLYSON APSEY
Allyson Apsey has been an educator for 28 years; an award-winning school leader for 19 of those years. She is passionate about students and staff and leads others through their strengths. She tries to be transparent, vulnerable and supportive, and she doesn’t ask questions unless she wants the answers.
Despite the fact that she never wanted to set foot in a school again after high school graduation, there is nowhere else she’d rather spend her days than in classrooms. In fact, she didn’t even have a chair at her desk because she was moving around the school all day long. The challenges and delights of being a principal filled her days with joy. She enjoyed nothing more than helping others be the very best they can be.
After 19 years as a school, district and state leader, Allyson is now the Director of Client Relations at Creative Leadership Solutions, where she partners with school and district leaders to identify their most pressing needs and connect them with high-impact professional development experiences. Drawing on her background as an award-winning principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, she brings firsthand insight into what effective leadership and instruction look like, ensuring that every partnership leads to meaningful outcomes for students.
In addition to her work with schools and districts, Allyson is a nationally recognized keynote speaker and bestselling author known for inspiring and empowering educators. Her writing blends real-world experience with research-based insight, offering practical strategies that elevate teaching, leadership, and school culture. Whether on stage or in print, Allyson’s voice resonates with audiences across the country, helping educators feel seen, supported, and equipped to make a lasting impact.
Allyson writes on a blog called Serendipity in Education and has authored eight (and counting) books, including The Path to Serendipity, What Makes a Great Principal, Lead with Collaboration, Leading the Whole Teacher and Less Talk, More Action. She has also authored two children’s books, the picture book The Princes of Serendip, and a middle-grades chapter book called The Serendipity Journal.
She is married to Jim and has two amazing sons with him, Laine and Tyson. She is blessed.