Hunger Leadership Awards
Our annual event 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.
Our annual celebration of exemplary leaders in the fight to end hunger and poverty will return
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
our 2024 Award Recipients
More Awards Recipients Announced Soon!
Sponsor the 2025 Awards
Your sponsorship of the 2025 Hunger Leadership Awards helps us continue our work growing leaders and cultivating change.
Interested in becoming a 2025 Hunger Leadership Awards Sponsor? Contact Director of Development Laura Tarre today or complete the sponsorship form.
Nominate a Leader
Help us recognize outstanding leaders in the movement to end hunger by nomninating a leader for the 2025 Hunger Leadership Awards. All nominations are due by Friday, March 21. We're seeking nominations of:
- Mickey Leland & Bill Emerson Hunger Leadership Award for Members of Congress who have come together to advance bipartisan legislation to end hunger
- The Trailblazer Award for individuals who have used their influence and celebrity to improve the lives of people experiencing hunger
- The Community Partner Award for community organization working to end hunger at the local level
- The Corporate Partner Award for corporate leaders who have committed financial resources to address hunger and food insecurity
- Outstanding Alum Award for alums of the Hunger Center’s fellowship or internship programs who have demonstrated excellence in the movement to end hunger
- Rising Star Award for alums who have completed their fellowship or internship program within the past seven years and are demonstrating leadership in the movement to end hunger
Thank You to Our SponSors
Harvester
Cultivator
Sower
Planter
Gardener
Mary Catherine Toker
Friend
AFSCME
Alliance to End Hunger
Bunge North America
International Dairy Foods Association
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
National Farmers Union
National Grocers Association
North American Millers' Association
Eric Steiner
Wegman's
*Indicates Hunger Center Alum
Past Award recipients
We present outstanding leaders from the U.S. government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors with the Bill Emerson & Mickey Leland Hunger Leadership Award for their significant contributions in fighting hunger in the U.S. and around the world.
Chef José Andrés
Gov. David Beasley, Former Executive Director of World Food Programme
Rev. David Beckmann
Senator Roy Blunt
Senator John Boozman
C&S Wholesale Grocers
Paul Carothers
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Senator Thad Cochran
USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon
Senator Chris Coons
Stephen and Ayesha Curry and the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation
Representative Rosa DeLauro
Senator Elizabeth Dole
Christy Duncan Anderson and the Albertsons Companies Foundation
Senator Dick Durbin
Representative Jo Ann Emerson
Representative Sam Farr
Deborah A. Frank, MD, Founder Children’s HealthWatch
Senator Al Franken
Representative Marcia Fudge
USDA Secretary Dan Glickman
Yolanda Gordon
Ambassador Tony Hall
Senator Tom Harkin
Dominique Hazzard and DC Greens
Janie Simms Hipp
Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force
Senator Johnny Isakson
Representative Barbara Lee
Representative Lynn Jenkins
David Kantor
Senator Herb Kohl
Kraft Heinz
Representative John Lewis
Senator Richard G. Lugar
Dora Martinez
Marshall Matz
Representative Michael McCaul
Representative Betty McCollum
Joan McGlockton and the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation
Representative James P. McGovern
Representative Gregory Meeks
Mary Jane Melendez and the General Mills Foundation
Manly Molpus
Representative Gwen Moore
Senator Jerry Moran
Representative Donald M. Payne
Matt Perin and the Kroger Co. Foundation
Representative Collin Peterson
Representative Chellie Pingree
The Poor People's Campaign
Senator Pat Roberts
Lisa Marsh Ryerson and AARP Foundation
Representative Bobby Scott
Representative Chris Smith
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Representative Jackie Walorski
Senator Roger Wicker
Jim Weill
Representative Frank Wolf
Senator Todd Young
We also recognize outstanding alums from the Bill Emerson National and Mickey Leland International Fellowships for their continued dedication to promote food security in the U.S. and around the world.
Ashley Aakesson
Giselle Aris
Damiana Astudillo
Lindsey R. Baker
Kate Bolz
Cara Brumfield
Robert Campbell
Michelle DeFreese
Indivar Dutta-Gupta
Tony Eskridge
Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines
Anne-Claire Hervy
Marc Jacobson
Carmen Jaquez
Michael Johnson
Shana McDavis Conway
Shane Murphy Goldsmith
Matt Newell-Ching
Adam Norikane
Tammy Palmer
Bryan Pride
Javier Silva
Richard H. Stolz
Christine Tran
Emily Wei
Hunger Leadership Awards News
Nominate a Leader
The Hunger Leadership Awards honor distinguished leaders who are chosen for their significant contributions in the fight to end hunger. They embody the determination necessary to make hunger and poverty a focal point of U.S. policy at home and globally.
Nominations for the 2024 Hunger Leadership Awards are now closed. We look forward to announcing our award recipients later this spring.
