In memoriam: Allison Westfield James

“Inclusion and equity were not just words for Ally,” said Dr. Carrie Teicher, interim chief executive officer of MSF USA. “She deeply believed in these foundational principles and worked to ensure that equity is part of our infrastructure and embedded in everything we do as a medical humanitarian organization. Ally was a transformational leader at MSF USA and throughout the organization.” 

Ally joined the organization in October 2021 as director of DEI strategy and quickly rose to become the chief people, culture, and inclusion officer, overseeing human resource policies and decisions for more than 300 contracted humanitarian staff working at our medical projects around the world and more than 250 staff working at the US office.   

Ally oversaw important changes to how the organization designed work and careers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, championing modern workforce practices grounded in equity, trust, and human-centered leadership. She helped strengthen policies to support staff well-being and long-term organizational resilience.  

“Ally's sudden death is a monumental shared loss for all of MSF and the communities we care for,” said Rasha Khoury, MSF USA board president. “Ally shared with MSF her uncompromising leadership—profoundly human, intersectional, grounded, and authentic. Ally often spoke about bringing grief out of the shadows as a spiritual responsibility. Her light will not be extinguished.”   

Her work directly strengthened MSF USA’s contribution to the organization’s larger global workforce and the medical care our staff provide. 

“Ally was our strategic warrior and seer,” said Dr. Sabrina Jafralie, senior DEI adviser for MSF’s operational center in Amsterdam. “She saw around corners, named the unspoken, and held space for truth with grace. Her legacy lives in the systems she helped shape, the people she empowered, and the movement she made impossible to ignore.” 

Prior to joining MSF USA, Ally spent 14 years at Inroads, an organization dedicated to creating career pathways for high school and college students across the country. As the northeast regional director, she supported a team of DEI professionals who coached, trained, and developed more than 600 college students and early-career professionals. Ally was recognized for her ability to build trust, mentor others, and cultivate environments where individuals—especially those from marginalized communities—could thrive.

Ally was active with several professional, civic, and cultural organizations. She participated in community boards serving disenfranchised youth and adults in Jamaica, Queens, and on Long Island.

During her career, Ally was recognized as a diversity and inclusion champion by Baruch, Pace, and Stony Brook Universities.

In 2013, Ally and her husband, Russell, received the African American Inspirational Leader of New York award from the New York African American Chamber of Commerce in recognition of their work in the community.

Ally graduated from York College, in Queens where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in social work. She also held certificates in DEI management and leadership and was Six Sigma Green Belt certified. 

“Ally was a wonderful colleague who led with vision and empathy,” said Teicher. “She always seemed to have the right words during the most challenging times. As an organization, but also as colleagues and friends, we are incredibly saddened to lose Ally. We will honor the immense legacy she leaves behind by continuing her work and mission.” 

Ally often sent words of inspiration to help buoy staff during difficult moments. Her last message to the MSF USA team, sent on October 31, reminded us that “our work doesn’t just respond to crisis, it connects us to humanity at its most urgent.” She noted that, “The realities we’re witnessing abroad often mirror challenges we feel here at home, in a social and cultural moment that can heighten our sense of connection—and, at times, fatigue. It’s a reminder that we do this work not in isolation from the world, but as part of it.” 

She urged us to take care of each other and ourselves, and ended with her characteristic sign-off: “Together we climb.”