About Alison Genest
- Dracut native from a farming family
- 30 years of private-sector experience in financial services
- Leadership development professional
Alison Genest is chairman of the Dracut Board of Selectmen.
She was elected to the board in 2020. Alison topped the ticket in a five-candidate race, winning 9 precincts and tying in the 10th.
At her first meeting as a Selectman, she made good on her campaign promise to bring forward a proposal for the development and implementation of an annual goal-setting process for the town government, which has been in place for the last three years to help guide Dracut's success.
Alison is a Dracut native with deep roots in town. Her grandparents emigrated from Poland in the early 1900s, establishing the family farm on Parker Road.
Alison’s mother, Elvina Leczynski, was a first-generation American who was raised on the farm with her six brothers and one sister. Alison’s dad, Bill Estabrook, Sr., served as a Dracut firefighter for 35 years.
Coming from a farming family, Alison supports community preservation and is committed to maintaining Dracut’s strong agricultural heritage.
At 11, Alison got her first job, delivering the Lowell Sun to her neighbors in Dracut Center. She worked throughout high school and college at Dracut Center Pharmacy and the Central Savings Bank.
Educated in the Dracut school system, Alison graduated from Dracut High School in 1985. She earned her varsity letter as a freshman member of the girls’ track team. Alison was a member of the National Honor Society and was awarded an academic scholarship from the Dracut Scholarship Foundation. She earned a finance degree at the University of Lowell.
Alison’s 30-year, private-sector career in the financial services industry includes extensive budgeting, management and oversight experience. For more than two decades, she's worked as a leadership and organizational development consultant. Her experience includes talent development, performance management, leadership coaching and succession planning. Alison helps leadership teams ensure business continuity by putting the right people in the right roles at the right time, to meet critical talent, operational and organizational needs.
As a Selectman, in collaboration with her colleagues and the town manager, Alison has worked to keep Dracut affordable, strengthen planning and oversight, and support public safety. She has proven to be a strong, independent and results-focused leader.
Alison has focused on open space and preservation, forming the Beaver Brook Farm Development Ad-Hoc subcommittee and successfully pushing for the implementation of guidelines for the purchase, use and maintenance of land bought with community preservation funds.
She has helped town residents with a wide variety of issues affecting quality of life, including zoning, public safety, trash pickup, graffiti removal, sidewalk clearing and traffic signage.
Alison has attended 29 ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new Dracut businesses, presented seven Eagle Scouts with citations of recognition and participated in a number of flag-raising ceremonies, town activities and volunteer events.
As chairman of the board for the last two years, she has earned a reputation for conducting Board of Selectmen’s meetings efficiently and professionally, with a warm and welcoming demeanor, while maintaining decorum and order.
Alison serves as co-chair of the board's Economic Development subcommittee and the Public Safety subcommittee. She previously served as the board's vice chair.
