She is a professional manager in environmental planning and quality control for the Environmental Sanitation technology Company (CETESB) in Sao Paulo, a public owned agency similar to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. She has responsibility for management of research on land use control criteria for environmental protection.

Ms Alves Ferreira holds a Bachelor's Degree and Teaching Certification (1967) and an M.A 91968) in geography from the University of Sao Paulo.