Alison J. Rapping
Executive Director
Alison J. Rapping is the Executive Director of Valley Leadership. A recognized leader in the non-profit community, she brings more than 15 years non-profit experience to her management role. She is responsible for providing the strategic direction for the organization, managing an extensive volunteer structure including the Board of Directors, and raising resources to support year-round programs and activities. Prior to joining Valley Leadership, Ms. Rapping served as the Executive Director of the Amblyopia Foundation of America and CEO of the Alliance for Arizona Nonprofits, where she oversaw the successful launch of this new statewide organization focused on promoting, supporting and serving Arizona’s nonprofit community. She invested 11 years of her professional career with Make A Difference, a nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing volunteers and developing and managing innovative community programs. While at Make A Difference, she helped grow the organization from a very small start up to a $1.1 million organization offering a wide-range of programs and services.
In 2005 and 2006, on behalf of Hands on Network, Alison traveled to Zimbabwe, South Africa, Korea, and the Gulf Coast to support and provide fundraising/ resource development training to organizations interested in creating Hands On Network models of service. Before moving to Arizona to run Make A Difference, Alison was a Legislative Fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security. Ms. Rapping has served as the Vice Chair for the City of Phoenix Commission on Housing and Neighborhoods, been a member of the City of Phoenix Bond Committee, Chair of the City of Phoenix CDGB review panel, and served on the Board of Directors for Hands On Network. She was named one of The Business Journal’s ‘40 Under 40’ emerging leaders in 2002 and is a graduate of Valley Leadership Class XX. Ms. Rapping received her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.