Erika Yamada is a program officer in the foundation’s Brazil office. Before joining the foundation, Erika worked as a consultant with and for indigenous peoples and organizations on issues related to human rights, climate change and free, prior, and informed consent. Since joining Ford in 2019, her work has been grounded in a combination of local and global experience. From 2016-2021, she served as an expert at the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

Erika has more than 15 years of experience in international human rights law and public policy and has worked for the Brazilian federal body for indigenous affairs (FUNAI) focused on land rights, community education, and strengthening indigenous peoples’ organizations. After that, she served as national rapporteur for Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples, an initiative of a coalition of NGOs in Brazil (Plataforma Dhesca) to monitor human rights for indigenous peoples in the country. 

Erika holds a doctorate in Indigenous law and policy from the University of Arizona, a master’s degree in international human rights and humanitarian law from Lund University, and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of São Paulo in Brazil.