People Newspapers was honored to celebrate 20 young changemakers and two youths on the rise on April 30 at Communities Foundation of Texas.
People Newspapers’ 20 Under 40 for 2026 are: Bridget Myers, Erica Wilkins Webb, Jessica Emanuel, Jordan Griesbeck, Katherine Sundby, Katie Kuehl, Kelly Ongena, Lauren Bellemare, Lindsay Davis, Lindsay Poppenhagen, Mary Sutherland, Ross Mulford, Shan Zaidi, Taylor Clark, Taylor Frank, Whitney Rowell, Hannah Johnson, Thomas Hand, Sahil Sawnani, and Lauren Mariel.
Youths on the Rise for 2026 are Olivia-Sophie Keijsers Koning and Olivia Zhang.
Our 2026 20 Under 40 Awards Ceremony was emceed by former news anchor/reporter Jeff Brady, who asked honorees to share their goals, advice, and thoughts on the future of Dallas — as well as to answer some surprise questions of his own.
The evening included comments from Pat Martin, publisher of People Newspapers, Calvert Collins-Bratton, chief relationships officer for Communities Foundation of Texas, and Sarah Oliai, president of Rotary Club of Park Cities, which has been a program partner since 2022.
Featured speaker Elizabeth Phillips told attendees about her journey toward becoming a committed advocate of child protection reform. Her life’s purpose, Phillips said, found her in 2019 when her younger brother died by suicide.
Phillips discovered a deeper calling through her pain. Today, the advocacy organization she founded, No More Victims, honors her brother and amplifies the voices of survivors of child sexual abuse. No More Victims has successfully campaigned for the passage of Trey’s Law, which has ended the misuse of non-disclosure agreements against child sexual abuse victims in civil settlements in Texas and multiple other jurisdictions.
After the catastrophic July 4 flooding at Camp Mystic, No More Victims helped launch and coordinate the Campaign for Camp Safety, which has led to legislative reform in Texas and Alabama. Similar laws are moving toward passage in several other states, and No More Victims has grown into the No More Victims Alliance.
People Newspapers is grateful to presenting sponsor Communities Foundation of Texas, and premier sponsors Baylor Scott & White Health and Nor-Tex Greenscapes, whose support made it possible to recognize these outstanding young leaders.
Visit peoplenewspapers.com to read more about our honorees.
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