Alexandra Sossa

Originally from Colombia, South America, Alexandra Sossa has dedicated more than 40 years of experience to performing community outreach and education for very low-wage workers in the USA, Europe and South America.

Her journey with FLAP began in 2001 as a volunteer, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to FLAP’s mission. Overtime, Alexandra’s dedication led to promotions, from a volunteer, community navigator, outreach worker, legal assistant and paralegal to various roles, including Bilingual Director of Operations and Outreach in 2009, Bilingual Executive Director in 2011, culminating in her pivotal role as Bilingual Chief Executive Officer in 2024.

Alexandra has a long history of public service dating back to her work with coffee plantation workers in her native Colombia Country, where she also worked for nearly a decade with the Attorney General’s Office and has educated low-wage workers on their human and legal rights in the United States, Spain, and Colombia. While in Spain, Alexandra helped citizens of Mexico navigate through the Spanish legal system via the Mexican Embassy. Ms. Sossa’s commitment isn’t just professional, it’s personal! Her father, an attorney, fought valiantly for low-wage workers and specifically for farmworkers’ rights. His memory lives on through Alexandra’s tireless work. Her mother, who is a retired Magistrate of the Court in Colombia and also, along with her whole family, are great supporters of low-wage workers and animal’s rights. Each combined legacy inspires Alexandra’s firm dedication to her craft and commitment to improving the working conditions and opportunities for low-wage workers across the USA. She is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in English.

Ms. Sossa graduated from the University of Medellin School of Law, Colombia and is certificated as a bilingual Mediator at the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago, Illinois (2008). She is an alumnus of the Center for Leadership Innovation who in collaboration with its Latine Co-training partner Latino Policy Forum gave her a certification from the Chicago-Illinois Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy (2009-2010) and holds a Non-Profit Management certification from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2010-2011). Alexandra attended several conflict resolution trainings at the Association for Conflict Resolution Chicago-Area Chapter, including Conflict Resolution in our Schools (2008). In 2010 The Language Certification Institute recognized her Proficiency in the Spanish Language for Business. In 2011, she also attended DePaul University Values-Centered Leadership offered by the School of Public Service and Vincent on Leadership: The Hay Project.

In 2011 the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago-LAF- (today Legal Aid Chicago-LAC) awarded her a certificate of appreciation in recognition of her volunteer efforts and commitment to LAC’s clients. In 2012, Alexandra was one of the Nueva Latina Estrella Award Community Services four finalists at the 8th annual Global Latino Fest during the signature Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating the best of Chicago’s Latino Culture. The Award recognizes emerging Leaders who embrace diversity, integrity, and creativity as they achieve success. In 2016, she received TheIllinois Association of Agencies and Community Organizations for Migrant Advocacy (IACOMA) award. In March of 2019, Alexandra received the “Foundation Award” from the Illinois Human Rights Commission -IHRC-, honoring her commitment in promoting and cultivating women’s rights, freedom, and achievement in Illinois. In 2020 Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health publicly recognized her as Illinois COVID-19 Ambassadors for her efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by promoting and sharing critical information and resources thereby keeping communications across Illinois safe during these challenging times. 

In early September 2021, FLAP awarded Ms. Sossa its highest honor, the “Beckman Farmworker Advocate of the Year”, for her more than two decades of leadership at FLAP, additional recognitions include “Champion of Change Award” from the Latino Policy Forum, “Illinois Migrant Education Program Service Award” presented in 2021 for more than 20 years of dedicated service to migratory children, youth, and families, the “Pioneer Community Advocate” presented from Mano a Mano Family Resource Services, in 2023, in recognition of her exceptional dedication, leadership and unwavering commitment to the immigrant community, and recognition from The Rotary Club of McHenry County in Illinois for serving as their guest speaker on May 23, 2019.

Alexandra participated in the AMPT x Bulls x Pepsi Non-profit Leaders Program in 2023 and in the Allstate Foundation Executive Leadership Program Class 2024 in partnership with Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is the winner of the 2024 “Woman of Impact Award” due to her direct role in the growth of FLAP, commitment to diversity and on-going support and strategies that impact the career advancement for Latine immigrant workers. In 2024 The SIMPLE GOOD recognized Alexandra as an official Simple Good Ambassador deeming her as an ambassador who has an ability and accountability to continue to spread positivity around the world! She presently sits on the Steering Committee of the Chicago Region Food System Fund , which responds to hunger and business disruption by bolstering the region’s communities and local food system. She served on the Board of Directors of the Peggy Browning Fund from 2024 to 2025 and also on the inaugural Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Steering Council and the Wasted Food Action Alliance-WFAA. Alexandra also received a Certificate of achievement for her wonderful presentation on “Discriminación en el Lugar de Trabajo” organized by Charla de Mujeres y Amigos in 2024 in Aurora, Kane County in Illinois. She is the winner of the “2025 Women of Power Award” giving by Quad County Urban League at the Women’s Empowerment Summit, “In recognition for her accomplishments and leadership in Forging New Roles and Inspiration for Women, Girls and Future Generations”. Alexandra was awarded the 2025 Liberty Bell Award by The Chicago Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section in recognition of her service rendered as a member of the legal community which strengthens the effectiveness of the American system of freedom under the Law.”

In 2025, Alexandra was a guest speaker at AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits’ AMPT Connect. She and fellow leaders discussed how to choose to center humanity, lean into joy, and continue moving forward during these uncertain times.

As part of the Chicago Region Food System Fund, she joined the Northwestern University’s Food Sustainability Committee on their panel on food justice and discussed the fund’s mission to build food resilience in the local food system through reform and investment that promotes leadership and ownership. She also highlighted how ongoing funding rounds reflect the continued support needed in the fight for food justice.

In Summer 2025, Alexandra was a panelist at the Labor Rights week organized by the Mexican Consulate in Chicago.

Alexandra was selected as a member for the Forefront 2025 Racial Equity Cohort that is building a sustainable statewide cross-sector partnership to reimagine how regional partners can engage with one another to collectively advance racial equity and she facilitated a Roundtable in Springfield on Fall, 2025. She also attended the “3rd Nyéléni Global Forum for Food Sovereignty” held in Sri Lanka in September, 2025. She was not only part of the North America Delegation (Canada, Sovereign Territories and USA), but also represented FLAP, one of the only 4 organizations in the world invited to speak in front of more than 700 food community leaders about Food Sovereignty, Food Chain Supply’s Workers Rights and Force Migration. Alexandra’s goal with the presentation was demanding a global food system change where trying food workers with dignity and the Food Supply Chain Workers’ Rights are included.

In Fall 2025, Alexandra completed the Nonprofit Leadership Excellence training provided by the Center for Nonprofit Management team at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and moderated the panel “Protecting Immigrant Food Supply Chain Workers Under Attack” at the Health, Environment, Agriculture and Labor Food Alliance-HEAL’s 5th Annual Member Summit in Atlanta, GA. 

This 2026 year, Alexandra sits at The Illinois Food System Roadmap Task Force, has been selected as “2026 Vital Village Networks Community Food Systems Fellow”, was a panelist at the “Cultivating Connection: Farmers, Digital Equity & Telehealth” panel hosted by Hispanic Tech and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP), co-moderated the “Organizing for Rights and Policy Reform for Restaurant Workers session” at the  “21st Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit!”, she was the presenter at the School of Labor and Employment Relations, Department of History in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and “Amplify your fundraising for beginners-Potencia tu recaudación de fondos” the first AMPT’s workshop in Spanish. She presently serves on the Reclamation FARMacy’s board of advisors.

Alexandra is an extraordinary force in the non-profit world, and her impact is felt on deeply personal level. She doesn’t merely engage with FLAP from the administrative standpoint; instead, she dives into the trenches where she works directly with everyone involved. She has played an instrumental role in the success of the non-profit FLAP’s continued growth. Throughout her more than 25 years of service with FLAP, she has educated low-wage workers about their work rights in the United States, developed working relationships with more than 573 organizations, including business, Consulates, churches, farms, foundations, law firms, other non-profit organizations and workers centers, in the USA and worldwide, focusing on preventing forced migration, and has supported attorneys providing legal assistance to a countless number of very low-wage workers in the USA area. Her passion for addressing the needs of these workers, fighting human labor/sex trafficking, wage theft and helping families stay together in the event of deportation by facilitating the process of getting dual citizenship for their children, youth and family members is immediately apparent when she speaks! She is a strident advocate for the very low-wage population.

Alexandra has written for newspapers in Colombia, Spain, and USA, and she has been interviewed by the media and invited to speak at Rotary Clubs, events, forums and panels, amplifying the voices of low-wage immigrant workers. Her commitment goes beyond theory. She also frequently recalls helping young women escape sexual abuse. Under Alexandra’s leadership, FLAP has made a remarkable impact on the low-wage community in the food supply chain, greenhouse, landscaping, nursery and snow plowing industries.  

More than $6.9 million of dollars in financial assistance has been distributed to very low-wage individuals benefiting more than fifty thousand low-wage family members. These distributions paid for families’ bills, groceries, housing, and utilities ensuring they could stay in their homes and keep their families fed. Under Alexandra’s leadership, FLAP also has distributed technology and educational supplies, so low-wage children and youth could participate effectively in distance learning and are not behind on school. Given an opportunity, to their low-wage family members, to find online jobs that otherwise FLAP low-wage community never will have access to. In doing this, Alexandra shows a strong commitmentto economic empowerment and mobility. All over, Alexandra has brought to FLAP more than $23 Million dollars in resources to accomplish its mission to improve working conditions and opportunities and supported private law firms and legal aid organizations on the more than $13 million dollars that has been giving back in wages and damages to low-wage workers in the food supply chain, greenhouse, landscaping, nursery and snow plowing industries, for a total of $36 million.