Tampa & St Petersburg

Allison was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She attended the University of Florida and after graduating from Southern Methodist University Law School she moved back to Tampa to join her family’s business as a 3rd Generation McDonald’s Operator. She started on fries and worked her way through the management training program qualifying to own her own McDonald’s in 1999.

Allison is passionate about art, architecture, and photography. She has been on the Board of Trustees at The Tampa Museum of Art for over a decade and currently serves as Board Chair. Her love of the arts blends well with her love of travel and exploration.

In 2012 Allison’s passion for art and local business collided when she and her brother opened Oxford Exchange. Their plan was to create a beautiful community space with a bookstore and coffee shop. “We opened the doors, and I never left” said Allison, now the Director of Oxford Exchange. What they thought would be a small project turned into a restaurant, shop, bookstore, coffee and tea bars, a membership shared work space and showrooms for Warby Parker and Aesop.

When the opportunity to be Editor of The Scout Guide Tampa & St. Petersburg presented itself, Allison did not think twice. It was the perfect fit for celebrating and promoting her vision of what makes Tampa so special.

Allison and her husband Robby have two daughters attending SMU and travel to Dallas often to visit them.