Chasing deadlines, cold calling, selling advertisements: it all started in a newsroom.

But for Coppell ISD director of communications Amanda Simpson, her lede did not kick off with the coveted position of entertainment editor on the Three Penny Press at Bellaire High School.

Simpson entered the journalism realm as a freshman, inspired by her aunt’s career as a travel editor for The Houston Post.

“To be on our high school paper was a privilege,” Simpson said. “We had to take a journalism class as a prerequisite, and once you got on if you did not meet your deadlines or measure up to our standards then you would not have the ability to return for the next semester. It was taken very seriously.”

Simpson proved herself a diligent reporter for two years before earning a role as entertainment editor, merging ambition with experimentation as she navigated the nuances of high school journalism.

“We really were self-sustaining without the internet; we had a department selling advertisements that would have to lay everything out, and to order the print we had to have them in the paper,” Simpson said. “There were some really nice perks to the job as well: we got movie premiere tickets to review movies and I got to interview some people famous in the teen world at the time. I was able to interview [American actor] Dennis Quaid my senior year of high school as he was an alumnus of Bellaire.”

Graduating high school in 1993, Simpson carried her journalistic endeavors to the University of Texas at Austin where she wrote for The Daily Texan.

“I always just thought in my head, the worst someone can tell me is no,” Simpson said. “There was a writer whom I liked and wanted to feature, so I found my phone book and looked up their name and called the person. And that was it; I got an interview.”

Simpson’s professional career, from her first job out of college as a communications assistant at the Houston Grand Opera to her current position in CISD has been defined by her dedication to sharing impactful stories. However, Simpson has not been without her fair share of emotional hurdles.

“Prior to working here, I worked at Texas Woman’s University as their media liaison/PR professional for 12 years, and some of the toughest things I have had to do throughout my career were communicating anything that involved harm to a student or student deaths,” Simpsons said. “These are really difficult to write because I am a parent and I am a human being.”

Coined “unflappable”  in her duties by the staff on the Denton Record Chronicle at TWU and paraded off with two cakes, Simpson made her way to Coppell for a shorter commute to her two children.

“On my 16th birthday, I remember walking to go get picked up from school,” senior Audrey Simpson said. “Usually my dad picks me up, but my mom surprised me and she had Taylor Swift blasting through and balloons sticking out of the car, and she was singing happy birthday to me.”

Mrs. Simpson sought out her job as director of communications in Coppell because of the emphasis on high quality learning standards. Her involvement in education remains an ardent testament to her father, Donald McKeen.

“I was raised by a single father who emphasized the importance of education,” Mrs. Simpson said. “He always led with empathy and I try to emulate him as much as I can every day. I feel a responsibility to take care of what I can for this district to make it what it is today and what it can be tomorrow, and give my all for the person who came before me and for the people who will come after me.”

Mrs. Simpson’s career has traversed through several adaptations in technology, from using fax machines for press releases to employing social media platforms for efficient communication.

“Releasing information used to be like when somebody said ‘Jump!’ and you would say ‘How high?’ Now when something happens you have to stop and think why,” Mrs. Simpson said. “Crisis tends to always be reactive, but part of doing the job well is to think ‘OK, what is something likely to occur and how do I prepare for it?”

Mrs. Simpson has a passion for students extending beyond her desk, noticed by the editor-in-chief of the Three Penny Press from her senior year of high school, Lynn Cook.

“I think that spark that started with her all those years ago is now a fire still burning today,” said Cook, who is now The Wall Street Journal senior breaking news editor for business, finance and economics. “She continues to tell great stories and puts her listening and analytical skills to use while advocating for kids and teachers in her community.”

While much of the district connects the name Amanda Simpson with the Coppell ISD weekly informed newsletters, Mrs. Simpson counteracts this perspective.

“I have two kids and I have 13,200 kids,” Mrs. Simpson said. “I do for this community what I would want done for me as a parent, community member and taxpayer and I want to share what information that we can because this is my home. I think that people should recognize that there are people behind email addresses, social media posts and comments. If anyone should reach out with questions we are there to help.”

This story was originally published on Coppell Student Media on May 14, 2025.