Allison Jennings currently serves as the manager for the Leadership Institutes for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. In this role, she oversees the track teams who directly manage relationships and support the universities who host the Institutes. She also manages the Common Leadership Curriculum program component.

Before joining IREX, Allison taught English as a second language and worked on the U.S. Department of State English Access Microscholarship Program in Tunisia. Prior to going overseas, she worked for GED® Testing Service as a field outreach program manager assisting states with the transition from paper-pencil to computer-delivered testing and managing requests for accommodations for test-takers with disabilities.

Early in her career, Allison was the national travel coordinator for a signature fundraising event of the American Diabetes Association, and spent several years in the private sector managing administrative and operations functions for Jacobs. Allison holds a master’s degree in international training and education from American University, a certificate in English-language teaching to adults from Cambridge University, a graduate certificate in international studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a bachelor’s degree in French literature from Hamilton College. She is proficient in French.