Alison's academic interests focus on sustainable food systems, both at local and global scales. At the Gund Institute, Alison supports Lini Wollenberg's research on poverty alleviation through climate change mitigation, for the CGIAR Challenge Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security. Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Alison has dreamed of living in Vermont since she was a child. She has been passionate about the environmental and nutritional aspects of food since her teens, and she discovered her academic interest in environmental science and food systems in college. Alison graduated from Skidmore College in 2007, with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Environmental Studies. During college, Alison held internships with the American Farmland Trust and the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council. After graduating, she lived in Boston, MA, where she worked for the Consortium for Energy Efficiency for two years before moving to Vermont in 2010. In her non-academic life, Alison enjoys dancing, hiking, camping, biking around town, and going to farmers markets. She is thrilled to live in a city with such a vibrant food scene and easy access to wilderness.

Research Interests: Food Systems, Agricultural Policy, Climate Change
Thesis Topic: Urban agriculture policy in Burlington