Alison Levine is a history-making polar explorer and mountaineer who has survived subzero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, sudden avalanches… and a career on Wall Street. In addition to having served as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, she has climbed the Seven Summits (highest peak on each continent) and skied to both the North and South Poles—an achievement known as the Adventure Grand Slam. Her success in extreme environments is noteworthy given she has undergone three heart surgeries and suffers from Raynaud’s disease, which causes the arteries that feed her fingers and toes to collapse in cold weather—leaving her at extreme risk for frostbite.
Levine served three years as an adjunct professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. A sought-after consultant and keynote speaker on the subject of leadership development, she has addressed audiences ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the World Economic Forum in Davos. She was featured on the CNBC program Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Leadership, alongside other notable leaders such as Gen. (Ret.) Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander; Henry Paulson, former Treasury secretary; and Robert Kraft, CEO and chairman of the New England Patriots.
In addition to having tackled some of the most challenging environments in the outdoors, Levine has also spent more than two decades in the business world. Her professional career has encompassed health care, technology, and finance. She serves on the boards of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University and the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point. She was a contributing author to the book Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders (Naval Institute Press).
A native Arizonan, Levine holds a BA from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Duke University. When she is not on a remote mountain peak or on the road lecturing, she spends her time in her hometown of Phoenix and in San Francisco with her partner, Pat, and their dog, Trooper.