Alison is an experienced Jewish community executive with expertise in nonprofit management, strategic analysis/planning, member engagement, fundraising, and finance. She returned to Temple Chai in 2019 to us with nearly two decades of navigating success for nonprofits, after beginning her career as our Director of Youth and Informal Education from 2005-2007. Alison shares, “My early career experience at Temple Chai inspired me to pursue a career in nonprofit management—utilizing best practices from the private, public and nonprofit sectors to advance the interests of congregations and communities. It would be a privilege to bring my accumulated experience full circle and return to the congregation.”
Prior to her return to Temple Chai, Alison spent several years consulting on executive search, strategic planning, and fundraising exclusively for nonprofit organizations. Additionally, she served Emanuel Congregation in Chicago as Director of Education and Interim Synagogue Director. She holds an MBA from Boston University in Nonprofit Management and Strategy and Business Analysis and a BA in Religion from the University of Illinois. Alison grew up in Buffalo Grove and is a proud alumna and supporter of many Reform movement youth programs, including OSRUI. Today, she lives in Skokie with her husband, Foster, and their two sons. In her free time, she supports a variety of pediatric healthcare nonprofits and is a founding board member of Fear? Not! Nation.