Allister has been involved with IMPACT for the past two years after initially joining CHAT (Conversations Happening Around Town). He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the ASPIRE program and is a co-instructor of organic chemistry lab at Coppin State University as part of the ASPIRE program. When he’s not working as a postdoc, he can be found volunteering with Repair the World.
Learn more about Allister.
How did you first get involved with The Associated?
I first got involved with The Associated as I was looking for volunteer opportunities within the Baltimore Jewish community after I graduated from grad school. I met with Rebecca Ellison, who was the senior development associate for IMPACT at the time, and she gave me wonderful suggestions based on my volunteer interests and passions. I joined one of IMPACT’s CHAT groups and then one opportunity led to another. I have been so grateful for the events that I have been able to attend and groups that I have been part of in The Associated.
What suggestions do you have for someone wanting to become a leader within the Jewish community? The opportunities to learn from so many leaders in the Baltimore Jewish community through volunteer groups and synagogues has been one of the highlights that I have experienced. I have been so impressed by the leadership skill sets of the clergy, community organizers, coordinators of programs and events, and volunteer committees in the Baltimore Jewish community. I would suggest joining a Jewish volunteer group or committee and to learn leadership styles of the people around us.
What are you most looking forward to once the world returns to normal and COVID-19 becomes a thing of the past? I thought about this question for a long time. I don’t know if the world will exactly return to a pre-COVID-19 version of itself (as a result of long-lasting social, economic and health repercussions from the pandemic). I’m not sure exactly what the world will look like, but I do believe that it will be a time in which innovation and creativity will have more opportunities to shine.
