Allison Thackston is a highly experienced professional in the field of robotics, currently serving as a Senior Manager of Robotics at Blue River Technology. Previously, Allison held significant positions at Waymo as a Senior Staff Technical Lead and Manager and Nuro as a TL Planner Systems, Software Engineer. Additionally, Allison contributes to the industry through leadership roles as Vice President and Board Member of Women in Robotics and as a Founding Member of the ROS2 Technical Steering Committee. Educational qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Robotics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.