Allison Pajor, Graduate Program Coordinator for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been selected for the South Bend Regional Chamber’s 2025 Michiana Forty under 40 class. This program honors adults under age 40 who have achieved professional success while also serving the community. Allison and her fellow honorees will be recognized on May 16, 2025 at a luncheon at the Gillespie Conference Center in South Bend.
As Graduate Program Coordinator, Allison oversees the administrative side of guiding more than 200 chemistry and biochemistry Ph.D. students through the program’s requirements, policies, and expectations. She successfully ensures graduate stipends are properly dispersed, plans visitation weekends for students accepted to the program, and oversees the orientation of new students entering each fall, while also supporting students through professional and personal issues that arise while in the program. In addition, Allison is a member of the College of Science Staff Engagement Committee, which works to build community in the college.
Beyond Notre Dame, Allison shares her expertise and passion for Shakespeare and early modern theater through various efforts in the community. From 2021-2024, Allison served as text coach for the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, and she has also taught classes, acted on stage, served as production manager, and staged and directed scenes as an assistant director. Allison also taught Shakespeare and drama to high school students at DePaul Academy, a South Bend juvenile justice program.
Allison is the co-founder and leader of the AMP Theatre Company, a non-profit Michiana community theater. In this role, she serves as a play director, co-artistic director, and serves on the board of directors as secretary and treasurer. The company’s volunteer-based productions strive to connect the audience with the performers through the use of minimal set pieces and artistic lighting. Allison holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Letters degree in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University as well as numerous mental health advocate certifications.