FEA’s new leader will focus on pandemic response, donor engagement, and thought leadership
Washington, D.C., June 22, 2021 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) announces that international education expert and entrepreneur Angela Schaffer has been named its new Executive Director. Schaffer brings 15 years of experience developing and managing international education programs, partnerships, and fundraising efforts, in addition to launching a small business and award-winning nonprofit.
“Growing up in Baltimore City, in a family and neighborhood where passports were rarer than high school diplomas, I would never have guessed that I – a first-generation high school and college graduate – would study abroad and have opportunities to travel internationally in my professional life,” said Schaffer. “I am passionately committed to making international education more equitable by growing FEA, supporting students who, as in my case, have the drive and discipline but lack the resources needed for study abroad.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schaffer’s first focus will be developing a plan and timeline for catalyzing donor engagement, prospect research and cultivating relationships, expanding FEA’s reach and impact, and ultimately positioning FEA as a thought leader in philanthropy and international education.
“With her impressive history advancing international education and serving her community, we’re thrilled to welcome Angela Schaffer onto our team,” said FEA Board Chair Anne Krieg. “Angela’s arrival adds to this very exciting period for FEA, as we work to fund additional scholarships through our ‘Bringing the World Home’ campaign, develop new programs for Alumni, and find innovative ways to answer the needs of our stakeholders in a post-pandemic world as travel and higher education revive.”
Including the latest cohort of scholars announced this spring, a total of 705 scholars—of whom 83% identify as students of color, 73% as first-generation college students and 37% community college students—have benefited from over $2.2 million in scholarships since FEA’s inception in 2010.
Launched in 2018, the “Bringing the World Home” campaign is FEA’s first comprehensive fundraising effort. It builds on an eight-year investment in the next generation, a growing community of engaged and promising alumni, and a network of donors and supporters committed to the notion that a globally educated citizenry will be equipped to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.
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About the Fund for Education Abroad
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to provide scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population, making life-changing, international experiences accessible to all by supporting students of color and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs. FEA Access Partners participate on the Access Advisory Board (AAB), established to share best practices in international education and actively engage in FEA’s mission to increase the number of Americans studying abroad. FEA is a Guidestar Platinum participant, and won the 2019 Scholarship Provider of the Year Award by NSPA. Follow FEA at www.fundforeducationabroad.org, and on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram and Twitter: @FEAScholarships.