A Letter from Jeff Ackermann, Board Chair of The Alliance for Collective Action
Dear Members of The Alliance for Collective Action Community,
I am thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the journey of The Alliance for Collective Action. After an extensive search process, it is with great pleasure that I introduce Alison Carlman as our new Executive Director.
Alison brings with her a wealth of experience and a deep-rooted commitment to our mission of fostering collective action toward a regenerative future. Her dedication to regeneration, coupled with her strategic vision, makes her the ideal leader to guide us into this next chapter of growth and impact. You will learn more about her in the post below.
Under Alison’s leadership, we are poised to reinvigorate our core mission. We will be updating our approach to “shared space,” fostering inter-organization collaboration and enhancing on-site education and advocacy. We are exploring innovative ways to utilize our physical space in alignment with our mission, ensuring that it remains a vibrant hub for collective action and innovation.
To our valued supporters, I want to express my gratitude for your unwavering commitment to our cause over the past years. We have expanded our vision and articulated a bold path toward a regenerative future. We have envisioned and actualized systemic change across multiple sectors, from the economy to energy production, from agriculture to social equity. We recognize that communicating this ambitious vision requires tangible actions that begin to manifest the regenerative future we envision. Your support is the power behind it all.
With Alison at the helm, supported by our dedicated staff and dynamic board, I am confident that The Alliance will seize the opportunities ahead. Please join me in welcoming Alison Carlman to her new role as Executive Director of The Alliance for Collective Action. Together, let us embark on this journey toward a regenerative future.
With warm regards,
Jeff Ackermann
Board Chair for The Alliance for Collective Action
Introducing Alison Carlman, Executive Director of The Alliance for Collective Action
We are excited to welcome Alison Carlman, the new Executive Director of The Alliance for Collective Action!
Born and raised in Colorado, Alison brings 18 years of experience growing systems-change organizations. After earning her bachelor’s degree in communications at Pepperdine University, Alison completed her master’s in Community Development and postgraduate work in Program Monitoring and Evaluation at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Alison has significant experience building communications, research, impact and innovation functions at GlobalGiving, a nonprofit operating nationally and internationally. Over 13 years Alison helped GlobalGiving deliver as much as $150m/year to grassroots nonprofits around the world. Alison also worked in communications at the Denver Art Museum and served as a Kiva Fellow in Kenya.
Alison brings a strong innovation and human-centered design orientation to the Alliance; she loves helping groups sense, listen, experiment, and learn. She is trained in nonviolent communication, restorative justice, and facilitation. A communicator at heart, Alison values collective visioning and storytelling as key tools in bringing about the regenerative future. She is motivated by the words of indigenous activist Lilla Watson: “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
AFCA: What interests you about The Alliance?
AC: I’ve encountered many community leaders and nonprofits around the world throughout my career. The most successful ones are 1) deeply embedded in the community, 2) living out the principles they espouse and 3) operating from a spirit of collaboration at their core. These same values are at the heart of The Alliance, making it so well-positioned to drive progress toward the regenerative future we all wish to see.
AFCA: Why did you decide to join us?
AC: I am humbled and excited to join The Alliance in this pivotal 20th anniversary year. The entire community—including the staff and board—is full of passionate, brilliant and kind humans who are committed to helping our planet thrive. I can’t think of more important work for this generation.
Welcome, Alison! We are thrilled that you are joining us.
Community members interested in connecting with Alison can reach out to her directly at acarlman@afca.earth.
