Allison Tracy-Taylor is an independent oral historian based in Sacramento, California. She began her work in oral history in 2002 at the University of Nevada Oral History Program (UNOHP), eventually interviewing for a multi-year project on the history of women’s athletics at the University of Nevada. Returning to the UNOHP as its coordinator in 2009, Allison served as one of the editors for the resulting book We Were All Athletes: Title IX and Women’s Athletics at the University of Nevada.
In 2008 Allison joined the first cohort of students at Columbia University’s Oral History Master of Arts Program. Her research culminated in her masters thesis “I began marching: Reclaiming Narrative with the Voices of Women Organizing Project”.
In 2012 Allison became the oral historian for the Stanford Historical Society, working to document Stanford University’s history through the stories of prominent faculty members and administrators. In addition to interviewing, she managed a corps of volunteers and served as the program’s senior oral history mentor.
In 2015, Allison joined the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) as the oral history administrator. In this position she administered the Kentucky Oral History Commission (KOHC), the only commission of its kind in the United States. She provided outreach, education, and technical support to oral history projects throughout Kentucky, managed the KOHC’s grant program, and collaborated to manage KHS’s extensive oral history collections.
In 2017, Allison left the KOHC and now works independently on a variety of projects. She is currently working with the California State Library to develop a website, Voices of the Golden State, which will feature oral histories about the California’s history and heritage, particularly highlighting the diversity of the state.
For the Oral History Association, Allison has served on Council from 2015-2018, the Education Committee, and the Program Committee for multiple annual meetings. Allison is also a member of the Southwest Oral History Association. In addition to an M.A. in Oral History from Columbia University, Allison holds a B.A. in English Literature and Sociology from the University of Nevada. In her free time, Allison participates in roller derby, is an avid crafter and cat lady, podcasts with her husband, and enjoys the occasional sunrise.
