Tara McKenzie Allison

Tara McKenzie Allison, Esq. is an attorney, who resides and practices in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1987, Tara received her undergraduate degree in Marine Engineering, from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.  Following graduation, She served as a Commissioned Officer in the US Navy.  After being honorably discharged, Tara worked as a nuclear engineer for over a decade.  She is a licensed Professional Engineer.  In 1999, she partially completed a MBA degree, at the College of William and Mary, before relocating to Columbus.  In 2005, Tara graduated from Capital University Law School, cum laude, passed the Ohio Bar Exam, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar.  Following graduation from law school, she has served as General Counsel/Contracts Manager for a mid-sized, construction-industry company, in Lexington, KY.  In 2008, she relocated back to Columbus, in order to start her own law practice.  She is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Tara is an active public speaker on LGBT-related issues; she has spoken at The Ohio State University, The Ohio State University Law School, Capital University Law School, Dennison University, Ohio Northern University, Transylvania University, Columbus Alternative High School, the King Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio, and the LGBT Subcommittee of the Columbus Bar Association.  She has been a presenter at the TransOhio Annual Transgender and Ally Symposium (2008, 2009, and 2010).  She has also spoken at the 2010 Ohio Diversity and Leadership Conference and the 2011 Equality Ohio CAUSE Conference at Columbus State Community College.

She has served as a “team leader” for Equality Ohio’s Lobby Day and has marched in the Columbus Pride Parade.  Tara is a regularly contributing author to OUTLOOK magazine, published in Columbus, Ohio.  She is also and Adjunct Professor at ITT Tech, where she teaches a class on “Legal Issues in Construction.”

Tara served as a Board Member and Legal Counsel for TransOhio, a not-for-profit organization serving to educate and advocate on behalf of the transgender community in Ohio.  In October 2010, she graduated from the Pride Leadership Program of the United Way of Central Ohio, better preparing her for further service on other Not-for-Profit boards.  She currently serves on the Board for The Legacy Fund of The Columbus Foundation.

Tara can be reached at: tara_m_allison@hotmail.com