Carmen Toft

Director

Carmen is no stranger to Pierre or to the work of strengthening public health in South Dakota. Her commitment to prevention runs deep; she even paid out of pocket for the HPV vaccine before it was covered for her age group. Today, she often thinks of her twin nieces and the healthier future vaccines help make possible. Her passion for preventative care continues to guide her work and advocacy, reminding her why strong, accessible vaccination programs matter for every family.

She has previously worked for the National Council of Urban Indian Health, the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, and Planned Parenthood, where she created communications and marketing materials and helped advance policy initiatives that promote preventative and primary care.

Carmen is also committed to community service. She is one of the founding mothers of the Pad Party, an annual menstrual product drive in Sioux Falls, and serves on the Immunize South Dakota board of directors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and theatre from South Dakota State University and lives in Sioux Falls with her rescue pit bull, Lola.

Allison Alvine, MD

Founder & Advisor

Allie’s passion for vaccine advocacy stems from various interests and experiences, combining them all when she founded South Dakota Families for Vaccines in the fall of 2022. She received her MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed a psychiatry residency through the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. Soon after, she pivoted from practicing medicine to purely patient education and advocacy, starting the South Dakota chapter of the Arthritis Foundation in 2011 after her son was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when he was very young. In her decade with the organization, she worked to advocate and educate about the disease, supported families across the state, and promoted vaccines to help protect these immune-compromised children. Over the years she has been involved in many other organizations and efforts as leader, founder, and contributor, focusing on her four children, STEM education, mental health awareness, social justice, animal rights, public health, and patient advocacy.