2026 Charles F. Blanchard Young Lawyer of the Year Award

Recognize young lawyers for their distinguished and meritorious service. This award is selected by the YLD Chair in consultation with current and former YLD leadership.

Alexandria “Alex” Gwynn is a lawyer and governance, strategy, and operations leader with experience advising executives, boards, and public institutions across infrastructure, healthcare, government, and other highly regulated environments.

Alex currently serves as Legal Counsel for the U.S. West region at Parsons Corporation, where she advises executive and operational leadership on enterprise risk, strategic growth initiatives, complex transactions, and operational decision-making across major infrastructure programs. She also serves on the company’s ESOP/401(k) committee supporting fiduciary oversight and governance initiatives.

In addition to her legal practice, Alex serves on the Board of Directors and Finance Committee of Alliance Health, a state-funded managed care organization serving Medicaid beneficiaries with complex mental illnesses, substance use disorders, and long-term care needs, across multiple North Carolina counties. She also serves as Chair of the Durham Human Relations Commission, where she has led strategic planning, governance modernization, and stakeholder engagement initiatives related to housing, public safety, civic engagement, and institutional trust.

Previously, Alex served as Corporate Counsel for Turner Construction Company, where she negotiated and structured more than $948 million in commercial and infrastructure transactions across healthcare, aviation, higher education, sports, and public-sector projects. She also served as interim legal lead during a critical leadership transition on the Obama Presidential Center project.

Within the North Carolina Bar Association, Alex serves as Division Director of Civic Engagement & Pro Bono for the Young Lawyers Division and is actively involved with the Corporate Counsel Section Council, the NCBF Endowment Committee, and the Minorities in the Profession Committee. She is also Co-Creator of the NCBA Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Leadership Cohort.

Alex is an Adjunct Professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she teaches Negotiation and the Art of Transactional Lawyering. She earned her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law’s evening program.

A native of Yanceyville, North Carolina, Alex lives in Durham with her husband, Rashard.