Arts Education, Festivals and Institutions

Allison is currently the Vice President and Executive Director of Emerson College Los Angeles. Emerson was founded in 1890 and today is the only comprehensive college in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts context.  Allison is the senior leader of Emerson’s Los Angeles campus (opened in 2014), working in a building commissioned by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne.

In addition to her current work at Emerson, Allison has arts education experience through her earlier positions as the Senior Vice President of the Colburn School and executive with the Colburn Foundation, which grants millions of dollars a year to arts education and other cultural programs. Allison has a deep institutional understanding of arts organizations and the challenges they face in the modern world. After over twenty years of helping arts institutions grow, she has an unparalleled ability to provide effective leadership for the cultural institutions of today – and tomorrow.

The L.A. Master Chorale described her as “that happy combination of a person who is both strong willed and easy to get along with”, and the Santa Monica Museum of Art said her “experience with and knowledge of non-profits and the inherent problems attached was key” to the success of their assessment grant plan.

Arts Institution Projects

 Arts Festivals

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