Stacy Allison

Stacy Allison brings a vast range of experiences and knowledge to her energetic and dynamic presentations. Allison is best known as the first American woman to summit Mt. Everest, which she accomplished on September 29, 1988. Allison is also the president of her own residential building company. Allison serves on the Board of Trustees of the National University and is the Chairperson for The Oregon Lung Association’s fundraiser, Reach the Summit. She is also a successful author of books such as "Beyond the Limits: A Woman's Triumph on Everest" and "Many Mountains to Climb: Reflections on Competence, Courage, and Commitment" and a committed mother of two.

At the age of 21, Allison began major alpine climbing and achieved rapid success. Within a year, she reached the top of Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America, and was part of a team that marked the first successful all-women ascent of Ama Dablam, a 22,495-foot peak known as Nepal’s Matterhorn. These accomplishments provided the groundwork for much greater achievements, including the ascent of the tallest peak in the Russian Pamir Range, as well as her first Everest challenge.

On her first attempt at Mt Everest, Allison did not summit. Allison later returned to Mt. Everest with the Northwest American Everest Expedition. On September 29, 1988, after twenty-nine days on the mountain, Allison became the first American woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 29,028 feet.

Allison then went on to become the leader of a successful K2 expedition, the world’s second highest mountain, considered to be the most difficult peak on Earth to climb. Three of the team of seven made it to the top; after an accident to the third, in keeping with her view of teamwork and leadership, Allison and the others descended. “In any endeavor, leaders should inspire members of the team with a passion for success, ” Allison says, “but within the framework of team effort. One of the most crucial things to realize, feel and remember, is that when one team member succeeds, the entire team succeeds.”