Staff and Board of Advisors

Supriya Pillai

Executive Director

Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing

Supriya Pillai has actively participated in social justice movements, domestically and internationally, for more than 15 years. In the 1990s, she was active in racial justice and immigrants’ rights work and was a senior editor with Stress Magazine. Prior to joining FCYO in July 2008, she was the Program Officer for Asia at the International Women’s Health Coalition where she focused on supporting sexual reproductive health and rights movements across the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia.  She has also lived abroad in both West Africa and Cambodia, working in microfinance, social marketing and public health.  She serves on the board of the progressive think tank Political Research Associates and is a former board member of the feminist Third Wave Foundation. Supriya holds a BA in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. 

Lorraine Marasigan

Program Officer

The Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing

Lorraine Marasigan joined FCYO staff in September 2010 after serving on the board of advisors for 2 years.  Prior to FCYO, Lorraine was the program officer for the Cricket Island Foundation, where she managed grantmaking programs to support youth-led social change efforts across the country.  Lorraine has over 10 years of experience in youth development. She has coordinated school-based and after-school programs in the Bay Area and New York City, focusing on areas such as health education, college and job readiness, and case management services, and has also conducted research on adolescent health at Columbia University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Lorraine serves on the advisory board of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and is a member of the Mabuhay Club of Sacramento, CA, a team of doctors, dentists, and other health professionals that coordinate medical and dental missions to the Philippines.  Lorraine received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley and her MSW and MPH from Columbia University.

Eric Braxton

Program Officer

Funders' Collaborative on Yourh Organizing

Eric Braxton currently serves as the Program Officer at the Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing, managing our ReGenerations Healthy Communities Inititaitve.  Eric was formerly the Small Schools Project Coordinator at the Philadelphia Education Fund working to get the School District to adopt a policy that allows communities to redesign failing high schools. Eric became involved in youth organizing as a peer counselor and evolved into a founding member of the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) and served as Executive Director for 10 years mobilizing students to improve the quality of public education in Philadelphia's public schools.  He is currently involved in a grassroots peer-counseling organization and serves on the board of the Funders Collaborative on Youth Organizing and Youth Empowerment Services.

Alexie Torres-Fleming

Senior Fellow

Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing

Alexie joins the staff as Senior Fellow, after serving on FCYO's Board of Advisors.  She is the founder and former executive director of Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice in the Bronx, NY.  YMPJ is a faith-based, community development organization that aims to empower local youth. Using education and community development, YMPJ has helped a generation of Bronx children discover that through advocacy, community organizing, journalism, environmentalism, and the arts, they can play an active role in shaping and improving their neighborhood.

Felicia Martinez

Operations Manager

Funders' Collaborative on Youth Organizing

Felicia Martinez comes to FCYO with many years of experience providing administrative and programmatic support to organizations in California. Most recently, Felicia served as Operations Manager at Causa Justa :: Just Cause (SF/Bay Area) and was instrumental in setting up administrative and communications systems during the merger process that created the organization. Prior to that, Felicia worked at St. Peter’s Housing Committee, at Mills College while she earned her MFA, and at the California Immigrant Policy Center. Felicia is a long-time friend of youth organizing and actively supported the work of Bay Area groups during the era of the fight against Prop 21. She has also worked with young people as a tutor and educator.