Biography of Sandra Fried

Sandra is a Program Officer in the Global Libraries initiative of the Gates Foundation, managing grants aimed at providing public access to information and technology, through libraries, at scale in countries around the world. In this capacity she supports varied efforts in China, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. In her time with Global Libraries, Sandra has been engaged in research, impact assessment and advocacy efforts that support public library development.

Sandra came to the Gates Foundation from United Way of King County, in Seattle, where she was program manager and grant maker for homeless services. Prior to her move to Seattle, Sandra worked on economic competitiveness and development for Oxfam American in El Salvador and Guatemala, the State of Tamil Nadu, India, and the Corporación Andina de Fomento in La Paz, Bolivia.

Sandra is a native of Quito, Ecuador, where she worked for several years in the non-profit sector designing fair trade commerce policy and managing small business training programs. Sandra holds a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a B.A. in International Relations from Beloit College.