About Alison
Alison Zimmer is an experienced film industry professional, and has worked with leading Canadian broadcasters, film distributors and festivals including Mongrel Media and the Toronto International Film Festival. She has served as a panelist and jury member for many local and regional Canadian film festivals and is an executive with the Rotman Entertainment and Media Association. She has a particular interest in gender and is a host and programmer with the Drunk Feminist Films collective and serves as an activist member of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, a national pro-choice advocacy organization. Alison is a second-year student in Rotman’s Morning MBA. Alison also holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of Toronto, with a major in Latin American Studies and minors in Spanish and Women and Gender Studies.
MBA Student Fellow Project
Through her project, Alison sought to understand the current decision-making process of men with regards to parental leave. She wanted to learn what inhibited them or allowed them to access leave, and what that leave looked like, including use of vacation time and informal and unpaid leave. In gaining an understanding of their current behaviour, she identified ways that employers and policymakers can solve for the needs and obstacles of fathers.