About Alison
They say you’re either born into the real estate title insurance industry or you fall into it; Alison Gareffa was born into the business. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Alison worked in the title insurance industry during high school and college in a quaint Victorian town, Medina, Ohio. Those were the days of paper drawings and hand-written notes on legal pads to do the work!
Fueled by a college internship with her local Congressman in Washington, DC, Alison returned to DC after graduating from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations. She gave herself six weeks to find a job or return to Ohio. Six weeks to the day, she was hired!
After reconnecting with her high school sweetheart, then a young Naval Officer stationed in San Diego, CA, they married and she headed West. Alison has worn many hats over the years, but her top two are being a Mom and a military spouse.
In 1997, she returned to her roots in the title insurance industry and joined the family business, Kasparnet, Inc., as CFO and HR Director. Alison was a leader in the company during a period of unprecedented growth, with over 50 employees and multi-million dollar revenue. She played an integral role in the sale of Kasparnet to Old Republic Title Insurance Group in 2004. Later, Alison transitioned to corporate roles with Old Republic Title, which afforded her the opportunity to work in several different departments, all the while continuing to learn and grow.
Driven by helping others and giving back, Alison has been very active in state and national title insurance associations such as the American Land Title Association (ALTA). She served on its Government Affairs Committee as well as the RESPA Implementation Task Force which later became the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures (TRID) Task Force. Closer to home, Alison served as Chair of the Ohio Land Title Association’s (OLTA) Membership Committee, was a frequent contributor to OLTA’s publication, Title Topics, and because a two-time recipient of OLTA’s prestigious President’s Award.
Fast forward to 2018. Alison took a strategic career pause to spend more time with family and friends. As a military spouse, she had the privilege of serving military families at home and overseas. It was during this time that the idea of an executive leadership coaching certification came to light. Alison realized her dream by earning her Certified Executive Coach diploma from Center for Executive Coaching and founding Forefront Coaching.
Today, Alison continues to build her practice, both within the title insurance industry and among military spouses by working with individuals, companies, and teams. A favorite areas of focus is influential conversations - how to dedicate time and intentionality around one-on-one discussions, group or team meetings, how to deliver more impactful performance appraisals, have a great first conversation with a new boss or direct report, and more!