Meet Our Executive Board - Alison Blair Mast
As we get closer to the return of our Ignite & Shine Gala, we want to take the time to introduce you to some of our newest executive board members - starting today! You’ll have a chance to get to know the six directors that have joined us over the last year, hearing why Ignite’s mission speaks to them, and what they hope for the youth we work with.
Today, we’re introducing you to Alison Blair Mast, Senior Vice President & Head of Strategy for Wealth Management at Northern Trust, who joined us in August of 2021. Read on for her responses:
What brought you to serve on Ignite’s board?
I am thrilled for the opportunity to support Ignite’s mission in service of youth experiencing homelessness on their journey to a home and a future with promise. I feel so passionately that access to these critical needs are fundamental to closing so many of the achievement and opportunity gaps we see in our community in Chicago and nationally today.
What is it about the cause of youth homelessness specifically that drove you to dedicate your time?
In my experiences volunteering with and serving on the Board for the Prison Creative Arts Program in Michigan, and as a high school Spanish teacher with Teach For America in Connecticut, it became very clear to me how crucial access to basic needs are in ensuring our children and young adults can one day lead independent lives. How could I expect a student to learn in my Spanish classroom if they were worried about where they would sleep that night or where they would get their next meal?
What are some of the things that you hope for the youth we work with?
In addition to meeting their immediate needs, I hope that our youth feel personally cared for, that there are people in the world here who believe in them and their future. I have always found that trusting relationships are wildly important in enabling youth to feel the confidence they need to achieve their dreams.
About Alison:
Alison Mast leads Strategy for Northern Trust’s Wealth Management business.
Alison is tasked with cultivating a strategy for Northern Trust’s Wealth Management practice that enables the business to not only survive but thrive in a future that is increasingly digital. Her priority is not simply to determine how to beat out the competition, but to ensure Northern Trust is best equipped to serve both its current clients and a new generation of consumers that expect financial products and services to be readily available, personalized and accessible from anywhere at any time.
In her current role, Alison works closely with practice leadership to identify, prioritize and implement strategic initiatives within Wealth Management. Alison teams with regional Market Leaders and utilizes competitive analysis to track and evaluate acquisition and partnership opportunities nationally.
Prior to joining Northern Trust, Alison worked as a management consultant at Accenture Strategy and McKinsey & Company, where she developed deep expertise in integrated operating models, strategic organizational design and cost reduction. Previously, she served as a Corps Member for Teach For America, teaching Spanish at Hartford Public High School in Connecticut.
Alison earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and an A.B. with high honors in English and Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
