Hunger Fellow Alum Tanner Roark to Receive Rising Star Award

We are pleased to announce that Tanner Roark (Leland ’19) will be recognized with the Rising Star Alum Award at the 2026 Hunger Leadership Awards, to be held on June 24 in Washington, D.C. The Rising Star Alum Award is given each year to an alum of the Hunger Center who has demonstrated excellence in their field within five to seven years after graduating from the fellowship.

Tanner serves as the Senior Technical Advisor for Sustainable Livelihoods & Resilience at World Vision. In this role, he supports USDA McGovern-Dole International Food for Education programs in six countries, with a focus on transforming livelihoods and expanding food security for youth in the Middle East and Africa. Tanner is also an Associate Fellow at the Food Security Leadership Council, where he works to strengthen U.S. leadership in addressing global food security challenges.

A graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Oklahoma State University, Tanner’s Leland Fellowship placed him with Project Concern International in southern Malawi and in Washington, D.C., from 2017 to 2019. Since then, Tanner has given back to the Hunger Center community through speaking engagements at fellowship learning events, as well as serving as a mentor for several fellows. Tanner serves on the board of the Mamie D. Lee Community Garden in Northeast Washington, D.C. and also volunteers his time with other anti-hunger programs in the city. We are proud to honor Tanner for his unwavering dedication to ensuring and improving food security for youth worldwide.

Tanner will be recognized for his achievements along with our other award recipients 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.