Lexi Neilan (B.S. '20)
June 13, 2019
Lexi Neilan is a third-year student in the Earth Systems (Sustainable Food and Agriculture) and Urban Studies (Urban Society and Social Change) programs, who dreams of one day working as a public-sector environmental attorney to reshape American food systems. Growing up in Boston, Lexi volunteered at a local urban farm and drug rehabilitation center, which inspired her work on food sustainability and security. Now, she works as a Research Assistant in the Nicole Ardoin Social Ecology Lab, exploring ideas of equity and inclusion in outdoor environmental education, particularly for women and students of color. Moreover, this past summer, Lexi worked as a Haas Center Urban Studies fellow for the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE), where she worked to study the carbon footprint of different food items purchased by the SF government. With her research, Lexi then wrote a report and draft food purchasing policy based on a racial equity framework. Lexi presented this report/policy to SFE, including to the Director, and the work is now being used to inform an upcoming policy announcement regarding what food systems SFE is willing to support from an environmental and social/cultural standpoint. Lexi also serves as the General Manager of KZSU 90.1 and the President of Stanford Drag Troupe, which she co-founded in 2017. In her free time, she likes to garden, bake vegan desserts, and watch movies with her partner and their Siamese cat, Olive.