One of the best things about VIDA is the chance to get to know other people. There’s something fascinating about every person who walks through these doors, and we’re excited to share some of those stories in this series of VIDA member profiles. Consider them a conversation kick-start for the next time you join us for happy hour.

This week, we’d like to introduce you to VIDA member Alison Wiley. Alison works remotely for a clean transportation nonprofit based in Atlanta, Georgia. We caught up with Alison to learn more about why she sees electric buses as a critical step forward in the fight against climate change, why she’s planning on donating a kidney, and what she likes to do when she’s not on the clock.  

Tell us a little bit about your work. What do you do, and how’d you get there?

I work at Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE). We work on clean air via cleaner transportation. A big part of that is electric buses. We’ve led the deployments of 265 electric buses in the last 11 years, so we’re proud of that. What we haven’t done yet is helped to deploy any electric school buses. So that’s where I come in. I’m working on developing an electric school bus program for CTE. 

I’ve worked in the transportation field since 2005 or 2006. At first, I was working on trip reduction, like helping people carpool, bicycle, and use the bus. And I liked that. But it became clear to me about three years ago that electrifying our transportation system reduces hugely more emissions than, say, replacing a driving trip with a bike trip—although that’s also a worthwhile thing to do. Climate change needs huge emission reductions, not teensy ones. So that’s my path.

Can you give us an example of a recent project you were part of that you’re particularly proud of, or excited about? 

The Bend/La Pine school district in central Oregon really wants to start electrifying their school buses. I met with them a few months ago, and we made a plan. It involves funding that Pacific Power is putting into place, and as soon as they post that grant program, CTE will help the school district apply for funds to buy two electric school buses and help to deploy them. Right now, there’s no electric school buses in Oregon. California, not surprisingly, has several dozen electric school buses in different parts of the state, but California is always way out in front of everybody. In the context of most states, Oregon’s doing OK. 

What do you value about being part of the VIDA community?

Being around interesting, creative people who are both happy to chat and to give each other lots of space. I enjoy happy hours, I love to socialize, and I focus better if there are humans somewhere around me. It’s like a transfusion. I get energy from other humans. Plus, there’s all this beautiful sunlight in the space.

Tell us about a time you overcame–or at least successfully grappled with–a major challenge.

Well, I have a challenge that is not related to my paid work, but I always see relationships between things that might seem unrelated. I’m planning on donating a kidney to Gloria L., a wonderful African American woman I’ve met. There are lots of hoops to jump through, which means it will probably be a few months until I actually do the transplant surgery.

It’s largely people of low income and people of color who ride the school bus, because their parents can’t necessarily drive them to school. They’re breathing in truly toxic air. That’s something I’m trying to redress. African Americans are far more disproportionately represented among people with kidney disease, so I want to do my own tiny part to redress that. 

I have really good health, and good health is partly born of privilege. I’ve been learning more in recent years about white privilege, and I have a friend at church who donated a kidney. She’s radiant, she completed it, she’s joyful, and she set a good example to me. 

Most of us have somebody somewhere in our family or friend circle with kidney disease. It’s common, but invisible. So that’s the challenge I find most interesting in my life. And I have a lot of support. I have a good church community and mentors who’ve been kidney donors. It would be completely impossible without having a community. 

What does the phrase “work-life balance” mean to you?

The three words that came to mind right away are running, singing, and dancing. I love to do all those things, I’ve done them through most of my life, and I plan to keep doing them till my life ends. So those, plus sociability, all of which have to coexist with my work life. I am not a workaholic. Sometimes I wish I could be, just for a few days or so. But I’m not. 

Can you tell us about one of your hidden talents, interests, or passions? 

I identify as an artist and a spiritual person, but I also have learned to not necessarily lead with those because it doesn’t always help people to connect with me, and I love to connect with people. Generally, I want to find what brings us together, what we have in common. 

In Portland, it’s almost weird to actually go to church. Similar to being an aspiring kidney donor, it’s not always the best conversation starter in this part of the world. But I really am a religious person. I’m not-fundamentalist and I resent that Christianity has been coopted by people with a lot of, frankly, hate. A whole lot of religious people are not like that, but we don’t make the headlines. I see kidney donation as born of my faith.

If you could live a parallel life, what would you do with it?

I feel like I’m living it! It feels like most of me gets to show up and live in this current life I’ve crafted. If there’s a part of me that isn’t, it’s the part of me that would be in wild nature a lot more. Maybe I’d even have horses.