Allison has worked in affordable housing, economic development, and commercial real estate for over 25 years. She joined the Foundation in 2006 to oversee investments made through the Foundation’s $150 million Window of Opportunity affordable rental housing preservation initiative. Her work has expanded to include underwriting and monitoring investments made in Chicago. Allison serves as a core member of the Chicago Commitment team, where she leads impact investing efforts to advance both the Vital Communities and Culture, Equity, and the Arts programs.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she was a member of the Community Lending Group at Fannie Mae, where she underwrote and closed more than $150 million in debt and equity transactions for affordable housing developments throughout the US. She also spent eight years with Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase) as a commercial real estate lender. Before moving to Chicago, she participated in the Urban Fellows Program in New York City, where she worked for the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
Allison graduated from Harvard-Radcliffe College with a bachelor’s degree in Government and earned a Master of Management degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University with a concentration in Nonprofit Management and Real Estate.
Allison has served on a variety of public advisory committees, including the Micro Market Recovery Program and the City of Chicago’s most recent Five-Year Housing Plan. She also serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Foundation for Women, where she is a member of the Executive and Program Committees.
