Born and raised in Colorado, Alison brings 18 years of experience growing systems-change organizations. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communications at Pepperdine University, Alison completed her master’s in Community Development and postgraduate work in Program Monitoring and Evaluation at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Alison has significant experience building communications, research, impact and innovation functions at GlobalGiving, a nonprofit operating nationally and internationally. Over 13 years Alison helped GlobalGiving deliver $150m/year to grassroots nonprofits around the world. Alison also worked in communications at the Denver Art Museum and served as a Kiva Fellow in Kenya. Today, she serves as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Collective Action.

The Alliance, based out of the Alliance Center in downtown Denver, brings people together to develop and advance solutions for a thriving planet. Alison holds a strong innovation and human-centered design orientation at the Alliance; she loves helping groups sense, listen, experiment, and learn. She is trained in nonviolent communication, restorative justice, and facilitation. A communicator at heart, Alison values collective visioning and storytelling as key tools in bringing about the regenerative future. She is motivated by the words of indigenous activist Lilla Watson: “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”