Allison Engel graduated from Iowa State University and was a Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University. She was the first holder of the Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair at Iowa State, and in 2009 earned a master’s degree in screenwriting from USC, where she served as director of communications for several years before becoming the associate director of LAIH. She and her twin, Margaret Engel, wrote three editions of Food Finds: America’s Best Local Foods and the People Who Produce Them. They turned it into a TV show, which ran on Food Network for seven years, and later on Travel Network. Allison’s articles on topics ranging from farming to funerals have appeared in national newspapers and magazines. In Iowa, Allison was the speechwriter for the Democratic governor and lt. governor. In recent years, she and her twin have written the plays Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins and Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End, which have had more than 100 productions throughout the U.S. and Canada. The duo’s latest book, written with Reise Moore, is ThriftStyle: The Ultimate Bargain Shopper’s Guide to Smart Fashion. They are working with Hollywood costume designers to adapt it to television.