Allison is a proud Raleigh native, and has always called North Carolina her home.
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Allison & Lou's Wedding.
Allison & Lou's Wedding.
Born at the "old Rex Hospital," Allison spent most of her childhood in Raleigh, graduating from Broughton High School. It was at Broughton where Allison first felt called to the stage and began to dream of a career on Broadway. That dream took her to the University of South Carolina where she received her BA in Theatre and Speech. From there it was off to New York City where Allison was able to 'live her dream' as a stage manager for a number of theatrical companies. During this time, Allison began to notice the difficulties and inequities that people with disabilities faced in gaining employment, and she found a new calling.
Allison left the bright lights of Broadway and took a job with the Young Adult Institute in Brooklyn, working as a community rehabilitation specialist, helping individuals with disabilities to be strong participating members of their communities.
This new career led her back home to North Carolina, where she went to work for The ARC of NC and later Columbus Industries in southeast NC. In both places she continued working with people with disabilities assisting them in finding gainful employment in the community. While at the ARC of NC she led efforts to provide supported employment for the disabled throughout North Carolina and worked with other agencies across the state to start Supported Employment Programs. She then took a job at Columbus industries in the southeast of the state to continue to support individuals with disabilities to find work that assisted them in gaining their independence and promoted their self-worth.
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Allison and her dogs, Fritz and Ollie.
Allison and her dogs, Fritz and Ollie.
She moved back to Raleigh full-time in 2003 to be closer to family, working in a local law firm.
Allison's mother, Anne C. Dahle, has always been a strong role model in her life. A strong and empowered woman who raised her daughter with those same traits, Anne worked as an educator at Meredith College where she started the 23+ Program to help older women go back to college. Allison's father was an Agricultural Economist at NC State University.
Allison has served on various boards and associations, and she has taken on voluntary roles including President of Carolina Designers Craftsman Guild, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Mothers Demand Action, ARC of North Carolina, Young Adult Institute, Planned Parenthood, and the Women's March.
Allison lives in Raleigh with her spouse Lou. They have two adorable dogs, Ollie and Fritz