Allison Foster

Vice President, WI-HER

Allison brings over 20 years of experience in international development with significant expertise in the education, health, and trade sectors. She has built partnerships with donors from the private sector, including the Tribune Media Foundation and Johnson and Johnson, and with government, including USAID, DIFD, US Department of Commerce, and US Department of State. Prior to WI-HER, Allison spent five years with the Institute of International Education, 10 years with the Pan-American Health Organization, where she was a Regional Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean, and eight years working with USAID implementing partners, including IntraHealth International and University Research Corp. Allison is an experienced researcher, has served on numerous research project advisory boards and review committees, and is published in several peer reviewed journals. Currently, Allison co-leads of the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group of the CORE Group and leads a health system workstream analysis on social accountability. With a background in business management and marketing, Allison brings not only technical development expertise but also entrepreneurial and innovative leadership to WI-HER, having worked in management consulting for 10 years prior to entering development work. Allison is passionate about creating equitable opportunities for empowered girls and boys. She serves on the Executive Board of The Journey Home Foundation; an organization that rescues and trains women and girls at risk in Nepal; and she serves on the Executive Board of the Big Big World Foundation, which supports orphans and vulnerable children in Vietnam. Allison graduated with honors from the Plan II program, a challenging interdisciplinary curriculum, at the University of Texas. She completed her Master’s Degree in Business Management and Communication through the European Socrates Program at the University of Florence. She has had her coaching certification from CTI since 2005 and has led individual executive coaching, co-creation events and skills building workshops for university groups, religious organizations, private companies, and various government agencies.