Paola M. Ferrer, Esq., serves as Executive Director of Government & Community Affairs at Emerson College, where she leads the College’s local, state, and federal engagement strategy. Reporting to the General Counsel, she manages government relations and compliance efforts, oversees the College’s Institutional Master Plan process, and builds meaningful partnerships with elected officials, regulators, and community organizations. Her work also advances Emerson’s civic engagement priorities and strengthens the College’s role as a thoughtful, connected institutional neighbor.
Paola is a respected attorney and community advocate with over two decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. Prior to joining Emerson, she held senior roles in government and civil society, including at United Way and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, where she directed legislative strategy and stakeholder engagement for one of the state’s largest human service agencies. Her cross-sector career spans philanthropy, government and non-profit administration, education, advocacy, and consulting, reflecting her lifelong commitment to building strong organizations.
A passionate advocate for justice, Paola has helped lead equity initiatives for organizations such as United Way and Third Sector New England and has supported efforts to elevate BIPOC-led nonprofits and Latino philanthropists in Massachusetts. Her leadership has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Women’s Bar Association’s “Pioneering Women of Color” and the Boston Business Journal’s “20 on the Move.”
A longtime advocate for the arts, Paola has sustained a vibrant 20+ year journey as a stage actor performing with community and professional theaters in the Boston-area. Paola holds degrees from Boston University (B.A., M.A.) and Suffolk University Law School (J.D.) and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. She lives in Stoughton with her husband, Camilo, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and fellow arts enthusiast, and their two very spoiled dogs, Dahlia and Orchid.