Alison Levine (mountain climber)
Alison Levine | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1966 Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Mountain climber, leadership consultant, motivational speaker, author, executive producer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Known for | Completing the Adventure Grand Slam; author of On the Edge: The Art of High Impact Leadership; executive producer of The Glass Ceiling |
Alison Levine (born April 5, 1966) is an American mountain climber, leadership consultant, and motivational speaker. She is the author of On the Edge: The Art of High Impact Leadership and served as executive producer for the documentary The Glass Ceiling. Levine has reached the highest summits across all seven continents and completed ski expeditions to both the North Pole and South Pole. In 2010, she achieved the Adventure Grand Slam by successfully climbing Mount Everest.
Early life and education
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Levine obtained a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Arizona in 1987.
Career
During her high school and college years, Levine worked in various restaurant roles. In her junior year at the University of Arizona, she transformed a position at Keaton's Restaurant into a marketing internship with Mattel Toys after connecting with company executives. After completing her MBA at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in 2000, she joined Goldman Sachs, where she remained until 2003. Subsequently, she took on the role of deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger's victorious California gubernatorial campaign.
Mountaineering
Levine embarked on her mountaineering journey by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 1998 at age 35. In August 2001, she was appointed team captain of the inaugural American Women's Everest Expedition planned for spring 2002, securing sponsorship from Ford Motor Company. Though her team turned back just shy of Everest’s summit in May 2002, Levine ultimately reached the summit on May 24, 2010. After over a decade of mountaineering and polar expeditions, she completed the Adventure Grand Slam, having climbed the tallest peaks on each continent and skied to both poles.
Seven summits and polar expeditions
- Kilimanjaro (1998)
- Elbrus (1998)
- Aconcagua (two ascents—1999 and 2004)
- Carstensz Pyramid (1999)
- Denali (2000)
- Vinson Massif (2001)
- Everest (2002; reached an altitude of 28,750 feet with the first American Women's Everest Expedition)
- North Pole (2004)
- South Pole (2008; first American to cross via the 600-mile Messner Route)
- Everest (2010; climbed in tribute to friend Meg Berté Owen)
First ascents
- Hall Peak in Antarctica (2,190 m / 7,185 ft) – January 6, 2016, via south face/southeast ridge route
- Khang Karpo in Nepal (6,646 m / 21,804 ft) – November 10, 2016
Post-climbing career
Levine applies her mountaineering expertise to leadership development and business adaptability as a consultant and motivational speaker through her firm Daredevil Strategies. She has served on Duke University's board and was a featured presenter at the Coach K Leadership Conference. In September 2010, CNBC's "Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Leadership" highlighted Levine alongside prominent figures such as General Wesley K. Clark, Henry Paulson, and Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III. She also delivered a keynote address at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2011.
Inspired by a 2005 expedition to the Rwenzori Mountains, Levine founded the Climb High Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training unemployed women in western Uganda as trekking guides and porters.
Her book On the Edge, released by Hachette Book Group in January 2014, offers leadership lessons drawn from her experiences in extreme environments. It earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and appeared on bestseller lists for both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Additionally, it was recognized as Best Business Book of the year in Management/Leadership by 800-CEO-READ.
In late 2015, Levine took on executive producing duties for The Glass Ceiling, a documentary focusing on Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who was the first Nepali woman to reach Mount Everest’s summit.