Alexis Tsoukalas joined FPI as a Policy Analyst in 2019, focusing on state immigrant and labor issues. Raised in the Sunshine State since middle school, Alexis has lived in the South for over 25 years and understands the region's unique threats and opportunities. She holds a Master of Social Work from Case Western Reserve University —with an emphasis on community practice and social change—and is a Ph.D. Candidate in Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida.

Her career began in direct service, then shifted to policy and advocacy once she witnessed the inequitable harms of misguided laws and funding. She has worked in the restaurant business and with the child welfare population, young adults experiencing homelessness, those recovering from substance use disorder, and isolated older adults. A lesson that emerged was how lack of economic mobility exacerbates nearly every social issue, leading Alexis to pursue worker justice.

Alexis was a State Policy Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and is now co-chair of CBPP’s state Policy Advisory Committee. She was also a THRIVE Economic Stability Fellow with the Central Florida Foundation and a Doctoral Policy Fellow with the Council on Social Work Education, which allowed her to engage with Congressional leaders and advocates on federal legislation.

Alexis was humbly named 2020’s Emerging Public Service Professional by the American Society for Public Administration and 2021’s Outstanding Practitioner by the Association for Community Organization and Social Action. Alexis also served as a Legislative Chair and State Delegate with the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and is a founding member of NASW-FL’s Immigration Justice Task Force.

In her “free time,” Alexis likes to sing and play music, absorb books/documentaries/comedy, and relax with her husband and animals.