Allison Dower is currently the Director of Workforce Excellence at the American Bankers Association, where she leads a nationwide member engagement effort centered on inclusion and professional development. She previously spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of State, most recently as the Regional Policy Advisor for East Asia and the Pacific in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, where she thought-led and implemented bilateral and multilateral initiatives around gender equality with partner governments in the region. She also managed global exchange programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, the Fortune-U.S. Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Program, Let Girls Learn Initiative, and more. She managed multi-million dollar budgets, designed programs, and supported government executives with policy and program analysis.
She has a Master’s in International Affairs from Penn State University and a Bachelor’s in History from McDaniel College. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and their dog.
