Emerging Leaders Class of 2024

Allison Geddes is a passionate community advocate, disruptor of systems, and storyteller dedicated to fostering equity and collective liberation. Since 2018, she has served as a Community Impact Coordinator with the John R. Oishei Foundation’s Mobile Safety-Net Team, where she facilitates community-led coalitions addressing critical issues like substance use, mental health barriers, and housing insecurity. Through her work, Allison builds meaningful relationships across sectors—nonprofit, public, academic, and faith-based—and often engages in challenging but necessary conversations to drive transformative change.

Allison credits her father for teaching her to "fight nice," instilling the value of fighting diplomatically and with respect, even when addressing the toughest issues. Her mother, on the other hand, instilled in her a deep sense of faithfulness—both to people and to her values. This grounding has given Allison the strength and perseverance to remain committed to justice, even when the path is difficult.

A Long Island native, Allison moved to Buffalo in 2010 to become a Bills fan & pursue her education at the University at Buffalo, earning a BA in Health Sciences and a Master’s in Social Work. Her academic and professional journey is rooted in trauma-informed, human-rights-centered practice, and an understanding of intersectionality. As a disruptor of oppressive systems, Allison incorporates a restorative process into her equity work, focusing on healing and rebuilding relationships to create sustainable, systemic change.

Beyond her professional life, Allison embraces her role as a storyteller, weaving narratives that connect and inspire communities. She is a proud cat mom and an avid music lover, finding joy and balance in the melodies of life.

Allison believes in the power of solidarity to dismantle systems of oppression and create an equitable world where everyone can thrive. Her work and passions are a testament to her unwavering commitment to making communities stronger, one story and one partnership at a time.