Avis C. Robinson was born on July 26, 1953, in Baltimore, Maryland, as Avis Edna Collins.
Edward Collins is her father’s name, and Annie Collins is her mother’s name. She is the third of her parents’ four children. Her ancestors are of black, white, and Nottoway Indian descent.
Robinson was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, when she was four years old, after her mother, a cancer researcher, got a position at the National Institutes of Health. In Maryland, she attended Colesville Elementary School, White Oak Jr. High School, and the Academy of Holy Cross.
In 1971, Alvis enrolled at the University of Maryland to study economics and urban studies. She also studied dancing and the visual arts. Avis C. Robinson relocated to San Francisco and enrolled at Golden Gate University after completing her undergraduate degree in three years. She received her Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from Golden Gate University, and then from Harvard.
