Hunger Fellow Alum Alexis Bylander Recognized with Outstanding Alum Award

We are pleased to announce that Alexis Bylander (Emerson ’05) will be recognized with the Outstanding Alum Award at the 2026 Hunger Leadership Awards, to be held on June 24 in Washington, D.C. The Outstanding Alum Award is given each year to an alum of the Hunger Center who has demonstrated excellence in their field.

Alexis is the Director of Child Nutrition Programs and Policy at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), where she leads FRAC’s Healthy School Meals for All campaign, with the goal of free healthy school meals for all across the United States. Through coalition building and strategic communications and advocacy, Alexis and the Healthy School Meals for All initiative have navigated a challenging policy environment to build real momentum for free healthy school meal adoption.

Alexis is a graduate of Concordia College and Carnegie Mellon University. As an Emerson Fellow in 2004-2005, she served in Washington, D.C., with DC Central Kitchen’s Campus Kitchens Project and with RESULTS. Alexis has served as a host supervisor and mentor for many Emerson Fellows, as well as a frequent guest expert and speaker at fellowship trainings and webinars. We are proud to honor Alexis for her steadfast commitment to nourishing future generations through expanding school meal access and the exceptional service she has provided to the Hunger Center community over the years.

Alexis, along with our other award recipients will be recognized for their achievements at the Hunger Leadership Awards. Our annual celebration brings together leaders from government, philanthropy, the private sector, and the wider anti-hunger community to recognize distinguished leaders whose vision and commitment are building the momentum to achieve zero hunger in the U.S. and around the world.