Meet the GTY Team: Fryda Faugier Ferreira

From coordinating to facilitating, our team is most often found behind the scenes supporting our members and daily operations. Get to know the Grantmakers for Thriving Youth team in our new series; learn more about their lived experience and what drives them to support philanthropy dedicated to youth thriving. Today, we’re getting to know administrative associate Fryda Faugier Ferreira.

Can you describe your role as part of the Grantmakers for Thriving Youth team?                       

As an administration associate, I handle the logistics and background operations that make our meetings and webinars possible. This includes everything from supporting speakers with honoraria to tracking budgets, essentially making things happen behind the scenes. My goal is to ensure that when you attend a session, you can focus entirely on the dialogue, resources, and connections without worrying about technical issues or materials. I strive to provide all necessary information and links upfront so that both presenters and attendees can get the most out of every experience.

Fryda pictured here with her husband and dogs, Yuki and Yoko.

What experience do you bring to this work?

My professional background began in higher education, where I spent eight years supporting students across the K-12 spectrum and into college. My work encompassed college application navigation, career support, and workforce readiness. While working in these spaces, I discovered a passion for administrative operations and the process of bringing order to ambitious projects. I subsequently transitioned into legal aid, collaborating with attorneys to support program management and operations. Throughout my career and in my current consulting work, I remain deeply committed to staying philosophically aligned with missions focused on education, immigration, and youth development.

What is an exciting development that gives you hope for transformational change?

Seeing the work of GTY and  our members in these convening spaces. Having spaces where there is an understanding of what problems exist and having the ability to make changes, fund programs on the community and national levels and within networks. It makes a huge difference when members can see intersections and make shifts. Everything is so siloed today, especially post-Covid, so seeing spaces where we break that down is really exciting and gives me hope for transformational change. And I can see how research can be actionable, making shifts in practice now rather than assessing based on what comes next and coming up with solutions later. 

What is on your reading or listening list that motivates you?

I really enjoy reading fantasy; I’m currently reading The Alchemist. Given how draining our work can be, having a completely different outlet is important to me. I’ve also been revisiting classics like Twilight, it’s not exactly educational, but it’s great for de-stressing, and I highly recommend it!