Durazo brings more than a decade of experience in fundraising, non-profit leadership and volunteer management to FRCC.
Beryl Durazo, CFRE, has joined Front Range Community College as the executive director of the FRCC Foundation—the non-profit fundraising organization for the school. The foundation helps students pay for their education through scholarships, and also raises money for the college’s programs and capital improvements.
“Beryl has dedicated her career to helping those in need through strategic philanthropy, community partnerships, and a steadfast commitment to donor stewardship,” said FRCC President Colleen Simpson. “FRCC is honored to have Beryl joined our team.”
During her 10+ years in the nonprofit sector, Durazo has been an avid member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has raised more than $7 million in grants, major gifts and event-based fundraising.
“FRCC has an incredible pool of donors who I can’t wait to meet and build relationships with—and I’m also eager start building new connections for the college,” said Durazo. “An FRCC education makes a huge difference in our students’ lives. I’m so proud that our foundation helps them reach their goals.”
Background & Experience
In 2019, Durazo‘s passion for serving at-risk youth led her to join the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County as the organization’s vice president for advancement. Earlier this year, she won the Legacy Gifts Award at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Conference.
Before that, she served as executive director of the Firehouse Art Center (FAC). Durazo helped the organization to successfully acquire the hugely popular ArtWalk Longmont event. “By working closely with the ArtWalk board, the center took over management of the event,” she says. “This partnership enabled the two entities to share resources, creating long-term sustainability for both the event and our organization.”
Durazo first began her non-profit career as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, working with youth who experienced the highest food insecurity rate in the country.
Throughout her non-profit career, Durazo has demonstrated a strong commitment to education and ethical practices. In 2020, she earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential and is now an ambassador for CFRE International. She has a passion for helping fundraisers earn their credentials to improve donor stewardship, ethics and accountability across the nonprofit sector.
Leading the Foundation
The FRCC Foundation advances the college’s mission of enriching lives through learning—by ensuring the diverse student body is able to pursue their dreams through an affordable college education. The organization helps students achieve their academic goals by providing:
- Scholarships and emergency funding for students and faculty.
- Direct support to academic and career-technical programs.
- Capital funds to support high-tech facilities and state-of-the-art equipment.
As the foundation’s executive director (ED), Durazo will set the example for dynamic fundraising—supporting the college’s growth and development, while ensuring successful alignment with FRCC’s mission and strategic plan. The ED plays a key role in developing community partnerships, individual support and industry relationships to provide guidance to college leadership on philanthropy.
As a member of the college leadership team, she will lead the foundation in partnership with FRCC’s president, Cabinet and the foundation’s board of directors.
About the FRCC Foundation
The Front Range Community College Foundation’s mission is to transform students’ lives through education. Since it was established in 1994, the foundation has raised millions of dollars for scholarships that enable students to achieve their dreams. The foundation also raises funds to support new, progressive programs and facilities that enhance FRCC and enrich our students’ experience.
The FRCC Foundation provides opportunities to deserving students while supporting local communities along Colorado’s Front Range. After community college students graduate, more than 90% of them continue to live in the area where they attended school. For Coloradans, this means FRCC graduates are your nurses, teachers, auto technicians, local business owners and much more. The FRCC Foundation—through the support of its generous local donors—helps ensure that our students can afford the training they need to start these important careers.
About Front Range Community College
Front Range Community College offers 200 degrees and certificates in a wide variety of programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County and Westminster—as well as online. FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System.
About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving 138,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities.
