Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager, The Freedom Fund
UW Major: International Studies
She serves as senior strategic partnerships manager at the Freedom Fund, an organization addressing human trafficking, forced labor, and other forms of modern slavery. The fund reaches more than 1.7 million people by supporting more than 200 frontline organizations — shifting power to those most at risk of and affected by exploitation.
“I help direct government funding to fight exploitation by making sure frontline expertise and lived experience shape where the money goes,” Lyga says. “My niche has been making sure stories are uplifted in a way that connects with people back at home.”
Lyga’s interest in international work was shaped early by a strong emphasis on curiosity and learning. Raised in a family that encouraged reading, exploration, and community involvement, she was pushed to connect with the world beyond her immediate environment. “I grew up with this idea that we should all contribute to something larger than ourselves,” Lyga says.
While earning a bachelor’s degree in international studies at UW–Madison, Lyga leaned into her intellectual curiosity — sitting in on lectures and auditing courses beyond her required coursework. “When you embrace what makes you unique, it can take you to some very interesting places,” she says. “The UW gave me the space to follow what I was passionate about and explore all those uncommon threads.”
Lyga did research on Ethiopia’s education system with her mentor, UW sociology professor Gay Seidman, and was inspired by UW bibliographer Paloma Celius Carbajal MA’05, MA’07 and her work on grassroots publishing. These experiences led Lyga to apply for and receive a Wisconsin Idea Fellowship. That grant funding supported a project in Ethiopia that wove local storytelling into nutritional education. Lyga stayed in Addis Ababa after the fellowship to work with an education nonprofit, mentoring students preparing for higher education, many of whom pursued scholarship-funded studies abroad.
After college, breaking into international development proved challenging. She spent a winter in Minneapolis working three jobs. An unexpected breakthrough came while teaching artisanal bookbinding at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. She collaborated with a woman from Alexandria, Egypt, who inspired Lyga to pursue opportunities in the Middle East. She spent the next six years there working for international aid organizations. In Amman, Jordan, she supported the founding of 7Hills Skatepark, a nonprofit empowering youth through sports. She helped grow it from a community program into a donor-funded nongovernmental organization.
Across roles with Relief International, Save the Children, UNICEF, the international aid organization Acted, and others, Lyga helped mobilize more than $200 million for programs across more than 20 countries across the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, helping millions of people. Beyond funding, she has built partnerships with more than a dozen governments and UN agencies.
Lyga earned a master’s degree in international development and humanitarian emergencies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and remains based in London. She stays connected to the UW through the International Career Conversations series.
“My biggest takeaway from UW–Madison was investing in being a lifelong learner. It’s where I became a whole person,” she says.