Getting to Know Allie Tennyson, Director of Athletics and Strategic Partnerships

This July, Allie Tennyson joined the GPS Athletic Department as the new Director of Athletics and Strategic Partnerships. Allie hails from Dallas, Texas, where she served as the Director of Athletics at Bishop Lynch High School, the largest coeducational private high school in the state. She holds a Masters of Educational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Arts in advertising and public relations from The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), where she also competed on their nationally ranked women’s soccer team. Allie is also an alumna of Ursuline Academy of Dallas, an independent all-girls school. Prior to her time with Bishop Lynch, she coached the UAD Bears to two consecutive TAPPS Division I state soccer championships. 

What made you want to come to GPS?
So many things! The all-girls component was certainly at the forefront of my desire to join the GPS community. As a product of an all-girls high school, I was very eager to be part of the tradition of success and excellence that is synonymous with girls’ schools. The first time I visited GPS, I knew instantly that tradition, success, and excellence was ingrained in the culture of the community, and I felt like I belonged.

What was your experience playing high school and college athletics?
Playing both high school and collegiate sports was a transformational experience for me. While I had a lot of success as an athlete, what was most important to me, and what I will remember forever, are my coaches and the lifelong impact their relationships have had on me. That is what ultimately inspired me to begin a career in coaching and athletics.

What do you believe are some of the positives of playing high school athletics?
Being a part of a team that shares a common spirit; the lifelong impact coaches can have on student-athletes; the built-in real-life experiences of adversity, discipline, competition, defeat, and victory!

What are some of your goals for the GPS athletic department?
Beyond anything else, my goal is to build on the amazing work and success the current coaches of GPS have achieved. I hope to walk alongside each of them and work to provide them the resources needed to elevate their programs—and GPS athletics as a whole.

What is something you think the GPS community would be interested to know about you?
I love meeting new people and making connections—that energizes me!

What excites you most about living in Chattanooga?
Getting to experience all four seasons, being in close proximity to mountains and water, and becoming a part of the GPS family.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Work out (I love running), travel with my husband, and play Mahjong.

Favorite sport to play?
Most recently tennis, pickleball, and golf.

Favorite sport to watch?
I love watching professional golf—I love watching it live in person most. I watched the U.S. team tee off at 7 a.m. (still dark!) at the 2023 President’s Cup, and it was one of the coolest moments of sports I have ever experienced.

Favorite teams?
Penn State, Notre Dame, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, and the Carolina Panthers

Guilty pleasure?
I watch too many Bravo TV shows!

Best thing you've read or watched in the last year?
I watched two really good movies this year that were based on true sports stories and highly recommend both—Boys in the Boat and The Iron Claw.