Meet the Candidate
Leo was born and raised in a large hardworking farming family in Efland, North Carolina. As the oldest of seven children born to Marvin Allison and Rosie English Allison, Leo was expected to work hard on the farm and in the classroom. He rose to the challenge working long hours cultivating tobacco & corn, raising hogs, & milking cows, while excelling at Central High School in Hillsborough. Leo ultimately graduated with the prestigious honor of being Valedictorian of his class in 1950. After high school, Leo continued farming to pay for college & earned a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics from North Carolina Central University in Durham in 1954.
After graduating college, Leo was unable to find local employment, so he accepted a job in Halifax, Virginia as a high school mathematics & physics teacher. While working in Virginia, he met & married Mary Sue Nicholas, a health & physical education teacher. They have been married for more than 53 years & have three adult children & six grandchildren.
After two year of teaching, Leo changed his career path to private industry. His career in corporate America spanned a period of more than 34 years, mostly with IBM Corporation. At IBM, Leo rose through the ranks to become a Quality Control Manager, overseeing a budget of $15 million, 5 departments & approximately 75 staff members. During his IBM tenure, Leo earned a Masters Degree in Engineering Administration from Syracuse University in New York in 1969.
Leo retired from IBM In 1991. He and Mary moved from Northern Virginia back to Efland, North Carolina in 1993 to live on the land he had farmed as a boy, and where his neighbors are immediate family, in-laws, relatives & friends.
Leo returned home with a wealth of knowledge & experience. Being a self-professed workaholic, he is determined to make a difference in the community in which he grew up. Leo has spent the last 15 years engaging in activities such as tutoring kids & serving on various Orange County Boards, task forces & charitable organizations. Leo is also an active member of Gaines Chapel AME Church & his family reunion committee.
Paid for by the Leo Allison for Commissioner Committee