Alison Levine
Encyclopedia
Alison Levine is an American
mountain climber, sportswoman, explorer, and entrepreneur
. She has ascended the highest peaks on every continent and also skied to both the North
and South Pole
s. In 2010 at age 44, she completed the Adventure Grand Slam by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, having fallen only 200 feet short in her previous attempt in 2002 as part of the 1st American Women’s Everest Expedition. She is one of few people in the world to have completed the Grand Slam. She currently serves as an adjunct instructor at the U.S. Military Academy
. She earned a Bachelor of Arts
from University of Arizona
and an MBA from Duke University
.
, the middle child of Jack and Corinne Levine. Her father served in the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover
and was one of the first special agents to publicly speak out against Hoover and the Bureau, which eventually cost him his career. Jack and Corinne moved from New York to Arizona in the early 1960s as a result of the fallout.
Levine’s favorite hobby while growing up was riding horses which she often did several times a week at a local stable down the street from her house. She was also active in student government and in community theater. During her senior year at Central High School, Levine was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
; a life-threatening congenital heart defect that worsened as she got older. After high school she attended the University of Arizona
in Tucson, Arizona, earning a BA from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (attending from 1984-1987 with an early graduation).
(WPW), a heart condition in which there is an extra electrical pathway (circuit) in the heart’s AV node connecting the upper atria chambers to the lower ventricle chambers. This extra pathway delivers the electrical signal too quickly to the ventricles. The condition is categorized as an electrical abnormality called pre-excitation syndrome and symptoms include rapid heart, dizziness, chest palpitations, fainting and sometimes cardiac arrest. The incidence of WPW is between .9 and 3% of the general population, and while many people with WPW remain asymptomatic throughout their lives, there is a risk of irreversible brain damage and sudden death associated with the syndrome.
Although Levine was born with WPW, a proper diagnosis wasn’t made until 1984 (age 17) when she suddenly collapsed, fell unconscious and was rushed to a local hospital. Doctors were unable to surgically correct the problem at the time, so she was put on a variety of medications which were unsuccessful at controlling her symptoms. Over the next several years Levine had to be rushed to the emergency room more than a dozen times in order to have her heart converted back to normal sinus rhythm. In 1996, Levine underwent an ablation procedure to correct her condition. The procedure was performed by Dr. Melvin Scheinman at the University of California, San Francisco
. Dr. Scheinman is best known as the first person to have performed catheter ablation
in humans.
Toys when a group of Mattel executives came into the restaurant for dinner. Her transition from restaurant hostess to marketing intern was chronicled in the career guidance book Smart Moves by Sheila J. Curran and Suzanne Greenwald (Ten Speed Press). To help finance her college education, Levine started a custom sportswear company and sold logoed items to various groups and associations on multiple college campuses. After college, Levine spent most of her career in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry working for health-care giant Allergan
(AGN) and later for a start-up semi conductor-based laser company called Iridex (IRIX). In 2000 she earned her MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and after graduation landed a job on Wall Street
as an associate with Goldman Sachs
. Passionate about politics, she left Goldman after 3 years and took a job as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger
in his bid to become governor of California
during the recall election in 2003.
and South Pole
s. Her trips have been funded by a variety of different sponsors including the Ford Motor Company
and the women’s network 85 Broads
. Levine climbed her first mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro, in 1998 at age 32. She used her vacations during graduate school to hone her skills on various mountains and eventually began climbing more challenging and technical peaks. In August 2001 she was asked to serve as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition which was slated to go to the mountain in the spring of 2002. Because she was heavily in debt from graduate school loans she needed to find outside sources to finance the trip and eventually secured funding from the Ford Motor Company
. After spending nearly 2 months on the mountain, her team was turned back just a few hundred feet shy of Everest’s summit due to deteriorating weather. When Levine reached the summit of Mt. Everest on May 24, 2010, she completed her Grand Slam bid and became part of the historical record.
and radiation
that were a component of her treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma
in 1997. Meg overcame cancer twice and eventually became an avid cyclist. In 2005 she was one of 25 cyclists chosen to ride from San Diego to Washington, DC with Lance Armstrong
as part of the Tour of Hope to raise awareness about cancer research. In honor of her friend, Levine engraved Owen’s name on her ice axe and planted it at the summit when she reached the top of the mountain.
, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Lockheed Martin
, Pratt & Whitney
, IBM
, and Motorola
.
Levine was a featured speaker at Duke University's 9th Annual Coach K Leadership Conference alongside Joseph Bailey III (Managing Partner, Global Sport Leadership Advisory Group, Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., and Former CEO of the Miami Dolphins
and Dolphins Stadium), Don Browne
(President, Telemundo Communications Group
) Jerry Colangelo
(Chairman of Phoenix Suns
and of USA Basketball
), Mike Krzyzewski (Coach, U.S. National Men’s Basketball Team and Head Coach, Duke Men’s Basketball); Sherilyn S. McCoy, (Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson
), amongst others.
In September 2010, CNBC
aired "Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Leadership," which featured Levine alongside other notable leaders such as General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former NATO Supreme Commander and Co-Chairman, Growth Energy; Henry Paulson
, Former Treasury Secretary and Former CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs
; and Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, Captain, US Airways
. The panel discussed the challenges ahead: How the U.S. can produce strategic, thoughtful, and brilliant leaders who will guide us in the 21st century while facing issues of great magnitude including financial regulation, health care reform, rising unemployment, and changes to our tax and energy policies. Other panelists included Robert Kraft
, CEO and Chairman of the New England Patriots
; Anne Mulcahy, Former Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation; and Jim Owens, Chairman, Caterpillar Inc.
In January 2011, Levine will be speaking at the World Economic Forum
in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
Held at the prestigious Thayer Hotel
at the entrance of the USMA at West Point, the Thayer LDG offers hands-on teaching from seasoned leadership practitioners who have successfully led organizations ranging in size from several dozen to several hundred people. This combination of cutting-edge scholarship with extensive live application is the Thayer LDG’s unique positioning in the executive education space. Current management-thought-leaders are emphasizing the positive benefits of a robust connection between simultaneous government and civilian leadership initiatives on a global scale. The Thayer LDG is positioned to be the center of this significant movement toward a world that needs public and private leaders of vision, integrity, and unimpeachable character.
to work as trekking guides and porters in their local mountains. The Rwenzori Mountains are located on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, an area that has been plagued by war and violence for decades resulting in extreme poverty in the surrounding communities. Women in these areas are subordinate in social status and historically have had few job opportunities. Levine’s organization teaches local women the skills that enable them to benefit from trekking and climbing-related tourism. By providing the clothing, equipment and training they need to work in the trekking industry, the organization enables Ugandan women to earn a sustainable living wage and paves the way for these women to improve their standard of living.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mountain climber, sportswoman, explorer, and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. She has ascended the highest peaks on every continent and also skied to both the North
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
and South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
s. In 2010 at age 44, she completed the Adventure Grand Slam by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, having fallen only 200 feet short in her previous attempt in 2002 as part of the 1st American Women’s Everest Expedition. She is one of few people in the world to have completed the Grand Slam. She currently serves as an adjunct instructor at the U.S. Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. She earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and an MBA from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Early years
Levine was born and raised in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, the middle child of Jack and Corinne Levine. Her father served in the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
and was one of the first special agents to publicly speak out against Hoover and the Bureau, which eventually cost him his career. Jack and Corinne moved from New York to Arizona in the early 1960s as a result of the fallout.
Levine’s favorite hobby while growing up was riding horses which she often did several times a week at a local stable down the street from her house. She was also active in student government and in community theater. During her senior year at Central High School, Levine was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome is a disorder of the heart in which the ventricles of the heart contract prematurely due to an accessory pathway known as the bundle of Kent. This accessory pathway is an abnormal electrical communication from the atria to the ventricles...
; a life-threatening congenital heart defect that worsened as she got older. After high school she attended the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in Tucson, Arizona, earning a BA from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (attending from 1984-1987 with an early graduation).
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW)
Throughout her childhood and early adult years, Levine suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White SyndromeWolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome is a disorder of the heart in which the ventricles of the heart contract prematurely due to an accessory pathway known as the bundle of Kent. This accessory pathway is an abnormal electrical communication from the atria to the ventricles...
(WPW), a heart condition in which there is an extra electrical pathway (circuit) in the heart’s AV node connecting the upper atria chambers to the lower ventricle chambers. This extra pathway delivers the electrical signal too quickly to the ventricles. The condition is categorized as an electrical abnormality called pre-excitation syndrome and symptoms include rapid heart, dizziness, chest palpitations, fainting and sometimes cardiac arrest. The incidence of WPW is between .9 and 3% of the general population, and while many people with WPW remain asymptomatic throughout their lives, there is a risk of irreversible brain damage and sudden death associated with the syndrome.
Although Levine was born with WPW, a proper diagnosis wasn’t made until 1984 (age 17) when she suddenly collapsed, fell unconscious and was rushed to a local hospital. Doctors were unable to surgically correct the problem at the time, so she was put on a variety of medications which were unsuccessful at controlling her symptoms. Over the next several years Levine had to be rushed to the emergency room more than a dozen times in order to have her heart converted back to normal sinus rhythm. In 1996, Levine underwent an ablation procedure to correct her condition. The procedure was performed by Dr. Melvin Scheinman at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
. Dr. Scheinman is best known as the first person to have performed catheter ablation
Catheter ablation
Catheter ablation is an invasive procedure used to remove a faulty electrical pathway from the hearts of those who are prone to developing cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardias and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.It involves advancing several...
in humans.
Raynaud's Disease
Levine has suffered from Raynaud's Disease since her early 20s. The disease is a disorder of the blood vessels, usually in the fingers and toes, causing the blood vessels to narrow which inhibits blood flow to the surface of the skin. The disease is compounded by cold weather and stress. The most severe cases can cause skin atrophy, ulceration and gangrene. The cause of Raynaurd’s is not known. During her climbs Levine must take extra precaution to not exacerbate her condition and often uses hand and toe warmers to protect her extremities.Professional career
Levine worked a series of restaurant jobs throughout high school and college. During her junior year at the University of Arizona she managed to parlay a job at Keaton’s Restaurant into a marketing internship at MattelMattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
Toys when a group of Mattel executives came into the restaurant for dinner. Her transition from restaurant hostess to marketing intern was chronicled in the career guidance book Smart Moves by Sheila J. Curran and Suzanne Greenwald (Ten Speed Press). To help finance her college education, Levine started a custom sportswear company and sold logoed items to various groups and associations on multiple college campuses. After college, Levine spent most of her career in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry working for health-care giant Allergan
Allergan
Allergan, Inc., is a global specialty pharmaceutical company. Their product ranges include ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, dermatology products, and neurological products.-Profile:...
(AGN) and later for a start-up semi conductor-based laser company called Iridex (IRIX). In 2000 she earned her MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and after graduation landed a job on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
as an associate with Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
. Passionate about politics, she left Goldman after 3 years and took a job as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in his bid to become governor of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
during the recall election in 2003.
Adventure Grand Slam
After 12 years of mountaineering and polar expeditions, Levine completed the Adventure Grand Slam by climbing the highest peak on each continent and skiing to both the NorthNorth Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
and South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
s. Her trips have been funded by a variety of different sponsors including the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and the women’s network 85 Broads
85 Broads
85 Broads is a network for high-achieving women founded in 1997. The name originates from the address of Goldman Sachs , where founder Janet Hanson was the first woman promoted into sales management....
. Levine climbed her first mountain, Mt Kilimanjaro, in 1998 at age 32. She used her vacations during graduate school to hone her skills on various mountains and eventually began climbing more challenging and technical peaks. In August 2001 she was asked to serve as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition which was slated to go to the mountain in the spring of 2002. Because she was heavily in debt from graduate school loans she needed to find outside sources to finance the trip and eventually secured funding from the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. After spending nearly 2 months on the mountain, her team was turned back just a few hundred feet shy of Everest’s summit due to deteriorating weather. When Levine reached the summit of Mt. Everest on May 24, 2010, she completed her Grand Slam bid and became part of the historical record.
Summits and Expeditions
- Kilimanjaro (1998)
- Elbrus (1998)
- AconcaguaAconcaguaAconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
(two summits—1999 and 2004) - Carstensz Pyramid (1999)
- Denali (2000)
- Vinson MassifVinson MassifVinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about from the South Pole and is about long and wide. At the highest point is Mount...
(2001) - Everest (2002; went as high as 28,750’ with the 1st American Women’s Everest Expedition)
- North PoleNorth PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
(2004) - South PoleSouth PoleThe South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
(2008; 1st American to traverse to the S Pole via the 600-mile Messner Route) - Everest (2010; in honor of friend Meg Berté Owen)
Meg Berté Owen
The 2010 Everest climb was especially meaningful to Levine because it was in memory of her dear friend, Meg Berté Owen who passed away in October 2009 from a lung infection at age 37. Meg’s lung disease had its origins in the chemotherapyChemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
that were a component of her treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...
in 1997. Meg overcame cancer twice and eventually became an avid cyclist. In 2005 she was one of 25 cyclists chosen to ride from San Diego to Washington, DC with Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
as part of the Tour of Hope to raise awareness about cancer research. In honor of her friend, Levine engraved Owen’s name on her ice axe and planted it at the summit when she reached the top of the mountain.
Leadership in Extreme Environments
Having survived some of the most challenging environmental conditions known to man, Levine is a sought-after consultant and lecturer. By drawing parallels between staying alive in the mountains and thriving in a fast-paced business world, Levine’s company, Daredevil Strategies, addresses leadership development, team dynamics, overcoming odds, tackling fear, taking responsible risks and dealing with changing environments. Some of her clients include General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, and Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
.
Levine was a featured speaker at Duke University's 9th Annual Coach K Leadership Conference alongside Joseph Bailey III (Managing Partner, Global Sport Leadership Advisory Group, Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., and Former CEO of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Dolphins Stadium), Don Browne
Don Browne
Don Browne is the president of Telemundo, an American Spanish-language television network based in Hialeah, Florida.- See also :...
(President, Telemundo Communications Group
Telemundo Communications Group
Telemundo Communications Group LLC & Subsidiaries , a division of NBCUniversal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world...
) Jerry Colangelo
Jerry Colangelo
Jerry Colangelo , is an American businessman and sports executive.He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major...
(Chairman of Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
and of USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
), Mike Krzyzewski (Coach, U.S. National Men’s Basketball Team and Head Coach, Duke Men’s Basketball); Sherilyn S. McCoy, (Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
), amongst others.
In September 2010, CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
aired "Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Leadership," which featured Levine alongside other notable leaders such as General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former NATO Supreme Commander and Co-Chairman, Growth Energy; Henry Paulson
Henry Paulson
Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. is an American banker who served as the 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs.-Early life and family:...
, Former Treasury Secretary and Former CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
; and Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, Captain, US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
. The panel discussed the challenges ahead: How the U.S. can produce strategic, thoughtful, and brilliant leaders who will guide us in the 21st century while facing issues of great magnitude including financial regulation, health care reform, rising unemployment, and changes to our tax and energy policies. Other panelists included Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
, CEO and Chairman of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
; Anne Mulcahy, Former Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation; and Jim Owens, Chairman, Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
In January 2011, Levine will be speaking at the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
West Point & Thayer Leadership Development Group
In 2009 Levine joined the adjunct faculty at the United States Military Academy at West Point where she teaches in the Dept. of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership. Her lectures focus on leading teams in extreme environments. In August 2010, Levine also joined the Board of Advisors of the Thayer Leader Development Group (LDG).Held at the prestigious Thayer Hotel
Thayer Hotel
The Thayer Hotel is a 149-room "Historic Hotel of America" property located 50 miles north of New York City on the banks of the Hudson River at 674 Thayer Road in West Point, New York on the campus of the United States Military Academy...
at the entrance of the USMA at West Point, the Thayer LDG offers hands-on teaching from seasoned leadership practitioners who have successfully led organizations ranging in size from several dozen to several hundred people. This combination of cutting-edge scholarship with extensive live application is the Thayer LDG’s unique positioning in the executive education space. Current management-thought-leaders are emphasizing the positive benefits of a robust connection between simultaneous government and civilian leadership initiatives on a global scale. The Thayer LDG is positioned to be the center of this significant movement toward a world that needs public and private leaders of vision, integrity, and unimpeachable character.
Climb High Foundation
After a climbing trip to the Rwenzori Mountains in 2005, Levine founded a nonprofit organization, the Climb High Foundation, which trains jobless women in western UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
to work as trekking guides and porters in their local mountains. The Rwenzori Mountains are located on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, an area that has been plagued by war and violence for decades resulting in extreme poverty in the surrounding communities. Women in these areas are subordinate in social status and historically have had few job opportunities. Levine’s organization teaches local women the skills that enable them to benefit from trekking and climbing-related tourism. By providing the clothing, equipment and training they need to work in the trekking industry, the organization enables Ugandan women to earn a sustainable living wage and paves the way for these women to improve their standard of living.
Sources
- Janie McCauley. American tops Everest, completes 'Grand Slam' (2010). http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/38684376/ns/sports-othersports/. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- KRON-TV, San Francisco http://cdn11.castfire.com/video/142/886/2775/387860/387860_2010-08-05-234251-2981-1-0-0.2981.mp4?referer=http%3A%2F%2Fblin90.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F06%2Fgary-sits-down-with-alison-levine-who-has-scaled-the-highest-peaks-on-all-seven-continents%2F
- National Archives. http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Archives+and+Manuscripts/fa_bernhard.htm
- Radio Interview http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/3738&6456
- Fred J Cook. The FBI Nobody Knows (1965). http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027C993I
- William W Turner. Hoover's FBI (1970). http://www.amazon.com/dp/1560250631
- Mark North. Act of Treason: The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy (1992). http://www.amazon.com/dp/0881848778
- Anthony SummersAnthony SummersAnthony Bruce Summers is the non-fiction author of seven best-selling investigative books. He is an Irish citizen, and has been working for some twenty years with Robbyn Swan, who is now his co-author and fifth wife...
. Official and Confidential - the Secret Life of J Edgar Hoover (1993). http://www.amazon.com/dp/0399138005 - Hartford Courant Obit http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=meg-bert-owen&pid=134607569
- Duke University, Fuqua School of Business & Coach K Leadership Conference. http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/conference/2010/speakers/