Yolo Community Foundation announces Stacie Frerichs as new executive director. Photo courtesy of Yolo Community Foundation

WOODLAND, CA (MPG) - The Yolo Community Foundation (YCF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Stacie Frerichs as its new executive director after a comprehensive search. Frerichs starts on April 22. 

Frerichs brings a unique blend of nonprofit leadership, financial expertise and community engagement to YCF. She most recently served as Director of Business Programs at the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), where she led statewide initiatives addressing critical challenges facing California counties, including childcare access, workforce development and economic development. In this role, she also planned and moderated an annual Innovation Summit highlighting cutting-edge solutions across counties and helped shape strategic programming for executive leadership.

Prior to her work with CSAC, Frerichs served as Executive Director of the Davis Arts Center for more than eight years, where she guided the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while driving significant programmatic and operational growth. Under her leadership, the organization launched a visual arts curriculum for K–6 students that has reached more than 15,000 students statewide and is projected to expand to 30,000 students annually. Her strategic, data-driven approach to financial modeling and program evaluation helped guide board and staff decision making, ensuring continued growth aligned with the organization’s mission.

“Stacie’s leadership is both strategic and deeply community-centered,” said Board Chair of Yolo Community Foundation Bret Hewitt. “Her ability to connect vision with execution, and to bring together partners across sectors, makes her uniquely suited to lead YCF into its next phase. Her deep local roots and knowledge of the local nonprofit ecosystem are exceptional.”

In addition to her programmatic leadership, Frerichs has extensive experience in financial planning, organizational strategy and operational management. She has led complex change initiatives, including organizational restructuring in response to California’s changing labor laws and has consistently aligned programs with mission-driven outcomes through data-informed decision-making.

Earlier in her career, Frerichs advised public agencies across California on financial strategies, including bond issuances and supported the formation of joint powers authorities to strengthen public sector financial capacity. She holds an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from UC Davis. Frerichs began her career in environmental work, analyzing and remediating contaminated sites across the Western United States. 

“I’m honored to join Yolo Community Foundation at such an important time,” said Frerichs. “Yolo County is home to an extraordinary network of nonprofits, leaders, and community members. I look forward to building on that foundation and working together to expand opportunity, strengthen partnerships and increase impact across the region.”

Frerichs is also deeply engaged in the local community. She serves as Board President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Yolo), participates in regional and national nonprofit leadership networks, and has successfully secured grants from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts and First 5 Yolo.

As Executive Director, Frerichs will focus on strengthening YCF’s role as a catalyst for philanthropy, supporting nonprofit capacity and advancing solutions to the county’s most pressing challenges.

The Yolo Community Foundation would like to thank her predecessor, Jessica Hubbard, for her years of outstanding leadership and growth for the organization and Carolina Valverde for doing a fantastic job as Interim Executive Director during the search.