SHRM Foundation Names Gen Z Leader Alex Edgar as Inaugural Losey Visiting Voice Fellow

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The SHRM Foundation today announced Alex Edgar as the inaugural Losey Visiting Voice Fellow, a new flagship component of the Michael R. Losey Human Resource Fund designed to bring forward leading perspectives shaping the future of work. The Losey Visiting Voice Fellowship embeds a leading voice within SHRM Foundation for one year to contribute insight, challenge assumptions, and help translate emerging workforce dynamics into practical strategies for employers. As the inaugural fellow, Edgar will work closely with SHRM Foundation and SHRM leaders to explore how generational shifts, technology, and changing expectations are reshaping the workplace—and what organizations can do in response.

The challenges shaping the next generation workforce are becoming acute—and urgent. Recent data shows a rapid shift in pathways into work, with only 45% of high school graduates planning to attend college, down from 78% just eight years ago (Britebound, 2026). At the same time, both workers and employers are navigating growing friction: 61% of Gen Z say AI will make it harder to enter the workforce (Deloitte, 2025), while employers report ongoing concerns about readiness and fit, with 12% saying they have fired a Gen Z employee within one week (Newsweek, 2025). These dynamics point to a widening disconnect at the very moment when new talent is both inevitable and essential to the future of work—underscoring the need for clearer pathways, stronger alignment, and more effective ways for generations to work together.

“The pace of change in how people enter and experience work is creating real pressure on both workers and employers,” said Wendi Safstrom, President of SHRM Foundation. “It is the type of urgent issue that the Losey Visiting Voice Fellowship was created to address, and Alex is the perfect inaugural Fellow. He brings the insight and credibility to help leaders move forward with greater clarity.”

The Losey Visiting Voice Fellowship reflects SHRM Foundation’s broader commitment to strengthening the HR field by equipping leaders with insight, tools, and strategies to navigate a rapidly evolving world of work. As a Gen Z civic leader focused on how institutions and individuals share power, build trust, and work effectively across generations, Edgar embodies the spirit of the Fellowship and the Losey HR Fund. As co-founder of Youth250 at Made By Us, he has helped position young people as central contributors to the nation’s 250th anniversary, reaching more than 2.5 million people and engaging 7,500 organizations nationwide. He leads the Youth250 Bureau, a network of 100 paid Gen Z advisors who have contributed more than 10,000 hours of advising.

During the fellowship, Edgar will lead dialogues with SHRM staff, members, and partners; contribute to thought leadership and convenings; and support learning across the HR field. A central component of his work will be a capstone focused on defining what a next-generation enabling workplace looks like — particularly how organizations can support early-career talent and strengthen alignment across generations. The effort will result in practical guidance to help leaders better connect workforce expectations with workplace realities.

“Work is changing faster than many organizations can process,” said Edgar. “Over the course of this year, I look forward to working with SHRM Foundation to explore how businesses and next generation workers can collaborate to thrive together.”

In addition to his work with SHRM Foundation, Edgar advises the Higher Education Democracy Exchange and serves as a youth advisor to a major national foundation guiding a multi-year expansion of its youth development strategy. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and a recipient of the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award and the Hidden Hero Award. He also serves on the boards of Points of Light and CoGenerate and was the youngest-ever advisor in U.S. Department of Commerce history through his service on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2030 Advisory Committee. Edgar’s term as Losey Visiting Voice Fellow runs through February 2027.

To learn more about the Losey Visiting Voice Fellowship visit: Losey Visiting Voice Fellowship Program

About SHRM

SHRM is a member-driven catalyst for creating better workplaces where people and businesses thrive together. As the trusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thought leader on issues and innovations impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally. Discover more at SHRM.org.

About the SHRM Foundation

The SHRM Foundation empowers Human Resources as a force for social good. As the nonprofit arm of SHRM, the world's largest HR professional society, the Foundation believes that HR holds a unique position to lead change in the face of complex challenges within the world of work. The organization mobilizes and equips HR to ensure the prosperity and thriving of talent and workplaces. The Foundation works by widening pathways to work for more skills-first candidates and more kinds of talent; tackling societal challenges, with a current focus on workplace mental health and wellness; and strengthening the HR field with even more diversity, growth, and readiness to address these needs. The SHRM Foundation works with SHRM, courageous partners, and bold investors to generate awareness, action, and impact to build a world of work that works for all. Discover more at SHRMFoundation.org.