Joan Alexander is a community activist in cultural, educational, humanitarian, political and religious/spiritual sectors of Houston life. The list of Alexander's magnanimous philanthropy and volunteer efforts to be a catalyst for change to enrich the quality of life for others includes a myriad of deserving causes. She and her husband, Stanford, were instrumental in the establishment of The Houston Food Bank and Dress for Success Houston, and she has served for 37 years on the board of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she was Founding Chair of the Photography Accessions Committee. She received the Houston Woman of Distinction Award for her "civic and humanitarian endeavors" in 1989. As a long-time activist for mental health issues, Alexander has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of and bring healing to those who cannot speak for themselves, starting with her service as a board member of Houston Child Guidance Center in 1976. She presently serves on the Advisory Board of the Mental Health Association of Greater Houston, the Menninger Clinic Board of Visitors and the Campaign Cabinet, Leadership Committee of the Joint City/County Commission on Children and the Advisory Group for The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center, where she has sponsored the pilot program for the "Mental Health is Everything" initiative.

Houston Woman Magazine June/July 2008