Faces of SAL: Allison Augustyn
February 20, 2024
Welcome to the SAL board, Allison Augustyn!
To welcome Allison to the board, we spoke to her about her storied history with SAL, recent favorite reads, and her favorite SAL event . . .
When you’re not doing SAL Board things, you can be found…
Former SAL staff, current patron, now board member! I’m a leadership and career coach, nonprofit consultant, and teach Design Thinking, so I meet people from all over the world to collaborate, design and act on social impact, idealized futures, and anti-racist practices. What it really means is I collaborate via Zoom/real life, write shared plans about what we’re going to do and why, and then go together to do those things by talking with people in positions of community and/or power.
Favorite SAL event (and why)?
Louise Erdrich. Her stories electrified us, brought us together instantly. You could feel the intensity of the audience listening and changing together in real time–I kept rubbing my arms to see if I was still myself, or if we had all grown into something bigger (both were true). I was forever inspired by the generosity of her words to do more, better support other’s lived experiences.
Before I came to this position, I . . .
Worked as a staff member, Executive Director, and Board Director in a variety of businesses and nonprofits.
Favorite book right now (and why)?
You have to give me more than one! The Persuaders by Anand Giridharadas, and Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej. Giridharadas has given us a profound gift, the collective wisdom of practiced activists and politicians, and actionable tactics to bridge significant divides in our daily work. Songsiridej wrote a perfect, complex, beautiful novel about body autonomy and love, a total joy to read while pondering the complexities of living in a female body in this society.
What’s your personal motto?
There is no failure, only learning.
Thank you so much, Allison! We’re so thrilled to have you on the SAL board!