As a Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Allison’s primary research interests are historical and contemporary issues of gender and diversity in organizations, social mobility, and careers and occupations. She is currently finishing a book (under contract with Columbia University Press) about women’s workplace activism in U.S. corporations from the 1960s-1990s, revealing contested meanings of feminism and divergent understandings of meritocracy. Allison works closely with Vice Provost Melissa Thomas-Hunt regarding the advancement of inclusive excellence on campus.
Before coming to Vanderbilt, Allison taught undergraduate and graduate students at Cornell University in the ILR School and the SC Johnson College of Business, where she won awards for excellence in teaching and mentorship and served as an advisor to several student organizations. Also at Cornell, she designed and delivered online leadership development programs for practitioners. Allison received her B.A. and Ph.D from the University of Virginia, where she worked during graduate school as a research associate at the Darden School of Business. Before graduate school Allison worked briefly as a court-certified mediator in Virginia.