Alison Levine is a history-making polar explorer and mountaineer. She is one of the few people in the world to have climbed the highest peak on every continent and skied to both the North and South Poles — a feat known as the Adventure Grand Slam — and was the team captain for the first American Women’s Everest Expedition. No stranger to punishing environments, she draws on her extraordinary experiences to share pressure-tested strategies for creating cohesive teams, taking responsible risks, and developing no-nonsense leaders who can succeed in times of uncertainty.
Levine’s success in extreme environments is even more remarkable knowing that she completed all of them having had three heart surgeries and suffering from Raynaud’s disease, a condition that causes the arteries in her fingers and toes to collapse in cold weather, leaving her at high risk for frostbite.
In addition to climbing mountains, Levine has also spent time climbing the corporate ladder. She had a successful career in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries before transitioning to the world of finance. After working in various positions for Goldman Sachs, she left Wall Street to serve as Deputy Finance Director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid to become the “Governator”.
When not challenging herself in the outdoors, Levine focuses on training others to become strong leaders. She spent four years as an adjunct professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. In 2014, she transitioned from training cadets to working with corporate leaders and currently serves on the board and faculty of Thayer Leadership at West Point, one of the nation’s premiere executive leader development programs. Levine has also served as a board member and Senior Fellow at the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University.
A sought-after consultant and keynote speaker on leadership development, Levine has addressed audiences ranging from Fortune 500 companies to professional sports teams to the World Economic Forum at Davos. She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and other Extreme Environments.
