Artavia B. Berry started as President & CEO of Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) on the Monday before the 2024 presidential election. Not exactly a quiet start. By Wednesday, she was leading an organization that serves system-involved young people into a political climate she hadn't expected. She had hoped for a friendlier environment for advancing justice work. Instead, she says, "It has been an uphill battle since my third day on the job."
But that hasn't slowed her down. Under her leadership, FLY is putting young people in the room where decisions are made. Serena Moy, Associate Partner at Edgility, led the search that found Artavia. Now, nearly two years later, the two sat down to talk about Artavia's first two years as CEO and the young people at the center of FLY's bold vision.
For more than 25 years, FLY has partnered with young people across the Bay Area to unlock their potential, disrupt the pipeline to prison, and advance justice. In that time, the organization has supported more than 50,000 young people.
Artavia's connection to the work runs deep. She grew up on the west side of Chicago, and she says her childhood looked a lot like the childhoods of the young people FLY serves today. Before she was CEO, she was a volunteer, a strategic program partner, and a donor. What drew her in was FLY's pairing of direct services with policy work that puts young people at the center of changing the systems around them.
FLY's programs rest on three L's: legal education, loving mentorship, and leadership opportunities. Artavia is proudest of how far that third L has gone in her first two years.
In the past year, two FLY alumni were interviewed, screened, and voted onto the board of directors. They are not junior or youth board members. Each holds one full vote and sits on committees, helping steer fundraising, fiscal oversight, and strategic direction.
This year, young people are also working inside the organization as interns and fellows in communications, development, and finance. As Artavia put it, they're getting a "look behind the curtain" at how a nonprofit runs, then putting those skills to work in real time. She sees them as "partners in this work."
When FLY searched for its next CEO, young people helped choose her. Today, they help govern the organization she leads, and within months they'll be evaluating her work.
Artavia leans right into it. "You're my boss now," she tells them. "You gotta tell me what you think."
For an organization built on the belief that young people deserve a seat at the table, that's accountability in its truest form. Serena, who led the search, remembers how much it mattered to FLY that young people had a voice in the process. She called it "a real first full circle moment."
Two things have Artavia especially energized:
At Edgility, we believe a great placement starts with trust: with the hiring team, the board, and the community the organization serves. That's why FLY's search made room for the voices of the young people at the heart of its work. It's also why we measure success well beyond the offer letter. For us, the real test is whether a leader is thriving a year or two down the road, and whether the people around them feel the process was meaningful.
That's the heart of our Find. Hire. Keep. approach. We help clients cast a wide net, run an inclusive and equitable process, and then stay connected as new leaders settle in and grow. Serena has been doing this work with Edgility for ten years, and her favorite moments are exactly this: learning that long after a placement is made, the leader is happy and the organization is moving its mission forward.
For the larger Edgility team, hearing Artavia talk about alumni on the board and FLY's 2030 goal - one that excites her so much she gets chills- reminded us why we love this work. We are thrilled to know that Artavia is thriving in her role, and will be cheering her (and the FLY team) on all the way to 2030!
Itching to learn more? Catch Artavia's full interview here.
Searching for a mission-driven leader who will bring your community's voice to the table? Learn more about Edgility Search's approach to executive search, or reach out to Serena and the team to map out a thoughtful process and timeline for your search.