Alison Levine Alison Levine ( born April 5 , 1966 ) is an American mountain climber , sportswoman , explorer , and entrepreneur . She has ascended the highest peaks on every continent and also skied to both the North and South Poles . In 2010 at age 44 , she completed the Last Degree Adventure Grand Slam by reaching the summit of Mt . Everest , having fallen only 200 feet short in her previous attempt in 2002 as part of the 1st American Women ’ s Everest Expedition . She is one of few people in the world to have completed the Grand Slam . She currently serves as an adjunct instructor at the U . S . Military Academy . She earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of Arizona and an MBA from Duke University . Early years . Levine was born and raised in Phoenix , Arizona , the middle child of Jack and Corinne Levine . Her father served in the FBI under J . Edgar Hoover and was one of the first special agents to publicly speak out against Hoover and the Bureau , which eventually cost him his career . Jack and Corinne moved from New York to Arizona in the early 1960s as a result of the fallout . Levine ’ s favorite hobby while growing up was riding horses which she often did several times a week at a local stable down the street from her house . She was also active in student government and in community theater . During her senior year at Central High School , Levine was diagnosed with Wolff - Parkinson - White Syndrome ; a life - threatening congenital heart defect that worsened as she got older . After high school she attended the University of Arizona in Tucson , Arizona , earning a BA from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences ( attending from 1984 - 1987 with an early graduation ) . Wolff - Parkinson - White Syndrome ( WPW ) . Throughout her childhood and early adult years , Levine suffered from Wolff - Parkinson - White Syndrome ( WPW ) , a heart condition in which there is an extra electrical pathway ( circuit ) in the heart ’ s AV node connecting the upper atria chambers to the lower ventricle chambers . This extra pathway delivers the electrical signal too quickly to the ventricles . The condition is categorized as an electrical abnormality called pre - excitation syndrome and symptoms include rapid heart , dizziness , chest palpitations , fainting and sometimes cardiac arrest . The incidence of WPW is between . 9 and 3 % of the general population , and while many people with WPW remain asymptomatic throughout their lives , there is a risk of irreversible brain damage and sudden death associated with the syndrome . Although Levine was born with WPW , a proper diagnosis wasn ’ t made until 1984 ( age 17 ) when she suddenly collapsed , fell unconscious and was rushed to a local hospital . Doctors were unable to surgically correct the problem at the time , so she was put on a variety of medications which were unsuccessful at controlling her symptoms . Over the next several years Levine had to be rushed to the emergency room more than a dozen times in order to have her heart converted back to normal sinus rhythm . In 1996 , Levine underwent an ablation procedure to correct her condition . The procedure was performed by Dr . Melvin Scheinman at the University of California , San Francisco . Dr . Scheinman is best known as the first person to have performed catheter ablation in humans . Raynaud ' s Disease . Levine has suffered from Raynaud ' s Disease since her early 20s . The disease is a disorder of the blood vessels , usually in the fingers and toes , causing the blood vessels to narrow which inhibits blood flow to the surface of the skin . The disease is compounded by cold weather and stress . The most severe cases can cause skin atrophy , ulceration and gangrene . The cause of Raynaurd ’ s is not known . During her climbs Levine must take extra precaution to not exacerbate her condition and often uses hand and toe warmers to protect her extremities . Professional career . Levine worked a series of restaurant jobs throughout high school and college . During her junior year at the University of Arizona she managed to parlay a job at Keaton ’ s Restaurant into a marketing internship at Mattel Toys when a group of Mattel executives came into the restaurant for dinner . Her transition from restaurant hostess to marketing intern was chronicled in the career guidance book " Smart Moves " by Sheila J . Curran and Suzanne Greenwald ( Ten Speed Press ) . To help finance her college education , Levine started a custom sportswear company and sold logoed items to various groups and associations on multiple college campuses . After college , Levine spent most of her career in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry working for health - care giant Allergan ( AGN ) and later for a start - up semi conductor - based laser company called Iridex ( IRIX ) . In 2000 she earned her MBA from Duke University ’ s Fuqua School of Business and after graduation landed a job on Wall Street as an associate with Goldman Sachs . Passionate about politics , she left Goldman after 3 years and took a job as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his bid to become governor of California during the recall election in 2003 . In January 2014 , Alison will publish On The Edge , a leadership manual from Business Plus . Adventure Grand Slam . After 12 years of mountaineering and polar expeditions , Levine completed the Last Degree Adventure Grand Slam by climbing the highest peak on each continent and skiing to both the North and South Poles . Her trips have been funded by a variety of different sponsors including the Ford Motor Company and the women ’ s network 85 Broads . Levine climbed her first mountain , Mt Kilimanjaro , in 1998 at age 32 . She used her vacations during graduate school to hone her skills on various mountains and eventually began climbing more challenging and technical peaks . In August 2001 she was asked to serve as the team captain of the first American Women ’ s Everest Expedition which was slated to go to the mountain in the spring of 2002 . Because she was heavily in debt from graduate school loans she needed to find outside sources to finance the trip and eventually secured funding from the Ford Motor Company . After spending nearly 2 months on the mountain , her team was turned back just a few hundred feet shy of Everest ’ s summit due to deteriorating weather . When Levine reached the summit of Mt . Everest on May 24 , 2010 , she completed her Grand Slam bid and became part of the historical record . Leadership in extreme environments . Having survived some of the most challenging environmental conditions known to man , Levine is a sought - after consultant and lecturer . By drawing parallels between staying alive in the mountains and thriving in a fast - paced business world , Levine ’ s company , Daredevil Strategies , addresses leadership development , team dynamics , overcoming odds , tackling fear , taking responsible risks and dealing with changing environments . Some of her clients include General Electric , Pricewaterhouse Coopers , Lockheed Martin , Pratt & Whitney , IBM , and Motorola . Levine was a featured speaker at Duke University ' s 9th Annual Coach K Leadership Conference alongside Joseph Bailey III ( Managing Partner , Global Sport Leadership Advisory Group , Heidrick & Struggles International Inc . , and Former CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Dolphins Stadium ) , Don Browne ( President , Telemundo Communications Group ) Jerry Colangelo ( Chairman of Phoenix Suns and of USA Basketball ) , Mike Krzyzewski ( Coach , U . S . National Men ’ s Basketball Team and Head Coach , Duke Men ’ s Basketball ) ; Sherilyn S . McCoy , ( Worldwide Chairman , Pharmaceuticals Group , Johnson & Johnson ) , amongst others . In September 2010 , CNBC aired " Meeting of the Minds : The Future of Leadership , " which featured Levine alongside other notable leaders such as General Wesley K . Clark , U . S . Army ( Ret . ) , Former NATO Supreme Commander and Co - Chairman , Growth Energy ; Henry Paulson , Former Treasury Secretary and Former CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs ; and Chesley B . " Sully " Sullenberger III , Captain , US Airways . The panel discussed the challenges ahead : How the U . S . can produce strategic , thoughtful , and brilliant leaders who will guide us in the 21st century while facing issues of great magnitude including financial regulation , health care reform , rising unemployment , and changes to our tax and energy policies . Other panelists included Robert Kraft , CEO and Chairman of the New England Patriots ; Anne Mulcahy , Former Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation ; and Jim Owens , Chairman , Caterpillar Inc . In January 2011 , Levine will be speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos - Klosters , Switzerland . West Point and Thayer Leadership Development Group . In 2009 Levine joined the adjunct faculty at the United States Military Academy at West Point where she teaches in the Dept . of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership . Her lectures focus on leading teams in extreme environments . In August 2010 , Levine also joined the Board of Advisors of the Thayer Leader Development Group ( LDG ) . Held at the prestigious Thayer Hotel at the entrance of the USMA at West Point , the Thayer LDG offers hands - on teaching from seasoned leadership practitioners who have successfully led organizations ranging in size from several dozen to several hundred people . This combination of cutting - edge scholarship with extensive live application is the Thayer LDG ’ s unique positioning in the executive education space . Current management - thought - leaders are emphasizing the positive benefits of a robust connection between simultaneous government and civilian leadership initiatives on a global scale . The Thayer LDG is positioned to be the center of this significant movement toward a world that needs public and private leaders of vision , integrity , and unimpeachable character . Climb High Foundation . After a climbing trip to the Rwenzori Mountains in 2005 , Levine founded a nonprofit organization , the Climb High Foundation , which trains jobless women in western Uganda to work as trekking guides and porters in their local mountains . The Rwenzori Mountains are located on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo , an area that has been plagued by war and violence for decades resulting in extreme poverty in the surrounding communities . Women in these areas are subordinate in social status and historically have had few job opportunities . Levine ’ s organization teaches local women the skills that enable them to benefit from trekking and climbing - related tourism . By providing the clothing , equipment and training they need to work in the trekking industry , the organization enables Ugandan women to earn a sustainable living wage and paves the way for these women to improve their standard of living .