Alison Levine
Alison Levine has made a career out of breaking boundaries and inspiring others to achieve more than they ever thought possible. A history-making polar explorer and mountaineer, she served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, climbed the highest peak on each continent and skied to both the North and South poles – a feat known as the Adventure Grand Slam, which fewer than 20 people in the world have achieved.
In January 2008, Levine made history as the first American to travel 600 miles on skis across west Antarctica to the South Pole, following the route of legendary Italian explorer Reinhold Messner. She made the journey while hauling 150 pounds of gear and supplies in a sled harnessed to her waist. She made history again in 2016 when she completed first ascents – or the first successful documented climbs to the top – of two mountains: Hall Peak in Antarctica and Khang Karpo in Nepal.
Levine's success in extreme environments is especially noteworthy given she has had 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.
In addition to climbing mountains, Levine has spent time climbing the corporate ladder. She has worked for several Fortune 500 companies in both sales and marketing roles and spent three years at Goldman Sachs. She left Wall Street in 2003 to serve as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid to become governor of California.
When not challenging herself outdoors, Levine focuses on training others to become strong leaders. She spent four years as an adjunct professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. In 2013, she transitioned from training cadets to working with corporate leaders and currently serves on the board and faculty of the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point – one of the nation’s premier executive leader development programs.
Levine was a contributing author to the book "Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for the Armed Forces, Emergency Services and First Responders." She also served as a board member and senior fellow at the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University.
Levine is the founder of the Climb High Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of jobless women in western Uganda by training them to be trekking guides and porters in their local mountains, allowing them to earn a sustainable living wage through climbing-related tourism. Prior to Levine's work, the only avenue for women to earn money in that area of the country was through prostitution. Her efforts allowed the very first group of local women to climb Uganda’s highest peak – Mount Stanley. Her work to change the lives of women in Africa is the subject of the PBS documentary "Living Courageously."
Levine’s newest role is executive producer of the upcoming documentary film "The Glass Ceiling," which chronicles the life of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first female Sherpa to summit Mount Everest.
Levine was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018. She holds a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Duke University, where she currently serves on the Board of Visitors. She is the recipient of the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which recognizes individuals whose accomplishments in their field and inspired service to the nation are cause for celebration. The medal has been officially recognized by both houses of Congress as one of the nation’s most prestigious awards and is annually memorialized in the Congressional Record.
A sought-after consultant and keynote speaker on the subject of leadership development, Levine has addressed audiences ranging from Fortune 500 companies to professional sports teams to the prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller "On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments." Having spent prolonged periods of time in some of the world's most dangerous and inhospitable places, she tackles the topics of creating cohesive teams, taking responsible risks and developing no-nonsense leaders that can succeed in times of uncertainty.
Fun fact: Levine’s life story is the inspiration for a craft beer called Conquer the Route Chocolate Stout, which is distributed by Bold Missy Brewery and features her likeness on the label.