Record achievement

Allison Campbell of the Marion County School Board is applauded as she receives an Image award for her Improve Our Schools With ABC program during the Florida Public Relations Association, Ocala Chapter, Mid-Florida Local Image awards at the Brick City Center For The Arts in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday, April 15, 2021. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

Marion School Board member Allison Campbell has been named president-elect of the Florida School Boards Association and is expected to assume the presidency next year, becoming the first person from Marion County to lead the statewide organization.

Campbell told the “Gazette” that when she became a school board member, she noticed that no FSBA president had ever come from Marion County.

“I thought then, four years ago, I wanted to be a part of changing that history,” she said.

She was sworn in as the 2025-26 president-elect at the FSBA Annual Summer Conference in Tampa from June 11-13.

According to the FSBA website, except for the immediate past president, president and chief executive officer, all executive officers are elected by ballot of the membership in attendance at the annual meeting of the association.

She will begin her term as president-elect on July 1. Her term will end on June 30, 2026, after which she will assume the position of president the following day.

If following the typical FSBA executive officer order, she will serve as president-elect this year, become president next year, and serve a final year as immediate past president. The president-elect assumes the president’s duties in their absence and will succeed to the presidency if the position becomes vacant during their term, according to FSBA procedures. This would not prevent them from their intended term as president the following year.

Besides mentoring the president in her term as president-elect, FSBA procedures say Campbell will oversee the Insurance Trust, conferences and other meetings and will have a key role in chairing the Long-Range Planning Committee.

She told the “Gazette” that professional associations like FSBA add immense value to their members.

“I hope my own children and other students their age understand how valuable professional development can be for their futures and future careers,” she said.

According to its website, Campbell was elected to the Marion County School Board in November 2020 and re-elected in August 2024. An Ocala resident for nearly 25 years, she earned Accreditation in Public Relations and Certified Public Relations Counselor designations through the Florida Public Relations Association. A former Ocala FPRA chapter president, she also served on the state FPRA Board of Directors, the Public Education Foundation of Marion County and the Non-Profit Business Council.

She earned her doctorate in strategic communication at Regent University. Her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in telecommunications and political communication come from Lee University and Regent University, respectively. She is an adjunct professor at the College of Central Florida and Southeastern University (Ocala campus).

Campbell told the “Gazette” how chairing the Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition, made up of 14 school districts in Central Florida, has been for the past six months.

“It has been an honor, bringing dynamic speakers, engaging topics and idea sharing to fellow board members and superintendents facing similar challenges we are,” she said.

“Being chosen to lead both the coalition and the FSBA, I’ll officially be president in 2026-27, shines a spotlight on the amazing community of educators we have in Marion,” Campbell added.

Campbell said the many statewide collaborations and learning opportunities from appointed leaders in these organizations have brought her joy.