Background

Allison Sagraves is a strategist who helps organizations unlock the value of underutilized assets by building the information, partnerships, and business models that bring them to life. An internationally recognized leader in data and AI, she advises Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, startups, and nonprofits on strategy, AI, and innovation.

An early enterprise Chief Data Officer, Allison helped define the profession. After serving as the founding Chief Data Officer of M&T Bank, she established a consulting practice advising organizations on data strategy, AI, and business transformation. She is a founding faculty member and advisor for Carnegie Mellon University's Chief Data and AI Officer Program, where she has taught and advised more than 500 executives from around the world. She has been recognized as a 2024 Outstanding Women in AI, a three-time Global Data Power Women honoree, and is a Harvard Business Review author.

Today, Allison is applying the same strategic approach to regenerative forestry. On thirty acres of woodland in Holland, New York, she is building a forest enterprise that inventories native forest assets, restores ecological health, and develops markets for sustainably managed forest products. Her work is testing how better information, practical stewardship, and stronger connections between landowners and buyers can increase the economic value of healthy forests while supporting long-term conservation.

A graduate of Harvard Business School and an honors graduate of Smith College, Allison serves as Secretary of The Wilmers Integrity Prize and has served on numerous nonprofit boards in the arts and education. She lives in Western New York with her husband, D. Gregory Connors, a former member of The Buffalo News Editorial Board. They have three adult children and one granddaughter.