Alexis Tsoukalas joined FPI in 2019, focusing on state immigrant and labor issues. Raised in the Sunshine State since childhood, Alexis has lived in the South for nearly 30 years and understands the region's unique threats and opportunities. She holds a Master of Social Administration/Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the University of Central Florida.

Her career began in direct service, then shifted to policy and advocacy after witnessing 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 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. 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.

Alexis was named 2021’s Outstanding Practitioner by the Association for Community Organization and Social Action and 2024’s Rothman Structural Change Awardee from the Special Commission on Macro Practice. In her “free time,” Alexis likes to sing and play music, absorb books/documentaries/comedy, and spoil her pets.