Alisa McMorris is the founder of the Andrew McMorris Foundation (AMF), named in honor of her twelve-year-old son who was killed by a drunk driver while hiking with Boy Scout Troop 161 in the fall of 2018. Since then, Ms. McMorris began her mission to turn this tragedy into a powerful platform for meaningful change.

Through the creation  of AMF in 2019, Ms. McMorris found a way to honor her beloved son, Andrew. Whether on Long Island or in Washington, D.C., Ms. McMorris leads the charge in effectively gaining the support of lawmakers to implement standards on automobile manufacturers and perpetrators.

In 2021, Ms. McMorris ventured to the Nation’s capital to virtually witness President Biden sign into law the Congress-backed Infrastructure Bill, which would require “Advanced Impaired Driving Technology” in vehicles produced after 2026. Back in her home state, she and her nonprofit  endorsed several New York bills, such as Andrew’s Law, devoted to reducing occurrences of impaired driving and aggravated vehicular homicide.

As the lifeblood  of the AMF, Ms. McMorris’s story and efforts continue to circulate from local news to federal officials to organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Through her efforts, AMF and MADD sponsored a campaign with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department to crack down on DWIs. AMF also offers opportunities for education, and in 2024, it awarded 69 scholarships to high school seniors and more than $5,000 in grants. In her own words, “It means so much to our family to keep Andrew’s spirit and legacy alive by raising money for scholarships for our young leaders and to bring awareness to the dangers of drunk, drugged and impaired driving.”

Ms. McMorris has dedicated her life to preventing more tragedies like the one she's experienced. She's working  to evoke change through  legislation, but also culturally, hoping to change minds and hearts.

She currently  resides in Shoreham-Wading  River with her husband, John, daughter, Arianna, and dog, Shelby. Long before the heart-rendering event that jumpstarted the creation of a successful nonprofit, Ms. McMorris attended Ithaca College and also earned a degree at Touro College. She has played the roles of wife, mother of two, pet owner, physician’s assistant, Girl Scouts troop leader, and legislative advocate.