Andover Resident Honored with Boston College School of Social Work’s 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award

The Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) has named Andover resident Jennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer at Project Bread, as the recipient of its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing her leadership to end hunger across Massachusetts.

Lemmerman was honored at the School’s annual Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Lecture and Distinguished Alumni Award Celebration on November 10, where BCSSW highlighted this year’s theme, “Accompaniment in Action”—a framework for walking alongside others, sharing their burdens and hopes, and staying present as long as needed.

As a 2008 graduate of BCSSW’s Master of Social Work program, Lemmerman has spent her career translating those values into action. Since joining Project Bread in 2019, she has led efforts to make Massachusetts a place where everyone can access and afford food with dignity, co-authoring major legislation to make free school meals permanent for all K–12 students, expanding SNAP and Pandemic-EBT access, championing policies supporting immigrants and families facing food insecurity, and most recently, serving on Governor’s Healey’s Anti-Hunger Task Force and leading advocacy for full SNAP benefits funding for over 1 million Massachusetts residents during the federal government shutdown.

“When we work together, ending hunger is entirely possible,” says Lemmerman. “Accompaniment means walking alongside families facing challenges with humility, curiosity, and respect. It means listening to people who know hunger firsthand and ensuring their experiences shape the work we do.”

Under Lemmerman’s leadership, Project Bread has built coalitions that have transformed the state’s approach to hunger prevention. Through the Feed Kids Coalition, she mobilized more than 4,200 advocates to help secure permanent universal school meals in Massachusetts. She also led the launch of the Make Hunger History Coalition, bringing together a diverse group of policymakers, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals with lived experience to permanently end hunger statewide.

“Jennifer exemplifies the kind of leadership and compassion that defines the graduates of Boston College’s School of Social Work,” says Erin McAleer, President and CEO of Project Bread, and BCSSW graduate, who nominated Lemmerman for the award. “Her ability to bring together lawmakers, advocates, and families to drive systemic change has made Massachusetts a national model for how to fight hunger through dignity and collaboration.”

Reflecting on her time at BCSSW, Lemmerman credits the school with instilling the values that continue to guide her work.

“I am deeply grateful to BCSSW for the foundation it gave me, not just in knowledge, but in values,” she says. “The people I met there helped shape how I lead and how I work for change.”

Beyond her role at Project Bread, Lemmerman remains actively involved in her community and the field of social work. She co-chairs the Political Action for Candidate Election Committee for the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter, organizes advocacy events such as Legislative Education and Advocacy Day, and serves on local housing and school committees in Andover.

To get involved with the Make Hunger History Coalition, visit: www.makehungerhistoryma.org.

About Project Bread
Project Bread, the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.