Allison Merchant

Allison is the Program Director for VV Breakthrough and sits on the Global Network and Issue Advocacy team at Vital Voices. She leads a bold new initiative to provide customized support to women leaders whose work is pivotal for people and the planet. These interventions will be uniquely designed around each leader’s most urgent need at a key breakthrough moment.

She recently served as Senior Gender Advisor at the Open Government Partnership, where she launched the Feminist Open Government Initiative advancing women’s participation and leadership across more than 90 countries. Previously, Allison held roles at POLITICO, the National Democratic Institute, the Institute for Inclusive Security, and EMILY’s List. Allison has a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and Bachelor’s degrees in Communications and Women’s Studies from Denison University.

Favorite Quote:

“Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backward and in high heels.” – Governor Ann Richards