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Erika is dedicated to researching and sharing how an acceptance-based approach empowers the most productive, thoughtful and successful action. She shares a compelling narrative of how we can all tap into the intersection of personal and professional acceptance. This acceptance creates a culture of belonging for all while also providing real-world strategies for dealing with challenging situations and events.
An author who wrote a book about the pains of nonacceptance and the journey to true acceptance, Erika addresses the blocks to accepting challenging people and situations, while also sharing the benefits. She offers a methodology for building an acceptance-first mindset. Erika is an award winning spacemaker, speaker, and leader in diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Formerly a practicing mechanical engineer, Erika sees the world as systems of interconnectivity.
Erika’s multi-faceted background spans positions with Fortune 100 companies to community organizations, nonprofits, universities and schools. Prior to becoming an author and interfaith minister, Erika was a socially-responsible financial advisor and Assistant Vice President at Willow Investments, where she helped the company earn B-Corp certification. Erika also served as Director of Member Services at 1Berkshire, a regional economic development organization serving 1,000+ members.
Earlier, she spent 10 years in STEM Education, serving as Project Director at the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education at the University of Maine (RiSE Center), leading a $15+M National Science Foundation partnership to create an infrastructure to strengthen rural STEM education across the state of Maine. She also led the NYC expansion of science education nonprofit Technovation, lectured at The Cooper Union, and taught high school physics and mathematics at The Young Women’s Leadership School as a NYC Teaching Fellow.
Erika started her career as an engineer in the corporate world, working at the Dow Chemical Company, Schlumberger, SchlumbergerSema, IBM and Halliburton.
Formerly a practicing mechanical engineer, Erika sees the world as systems of interconnectivity.
Erika’s multi-faceted background spans positions with Fortune 100 companies to community organizations, nonprofits, universities and schools. Prior to becoming an author and interfaith minister, Erika was a socially-responsible financial advisor and Assistant Vice President at Willow Investments, where she helped the company earn B-Corp certification. Erika also served as Director of Member Services at 1Berkshire, a regional economic development organization serving 1,000+ members.
Earlier, she spent 10 years in STEM Education, serving as Project Director at the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education at the University of Maine (RiSE Center), leading a $15+M National Science Foundation partnership to create an infrastructure to strengthen rural STEM education across the state of Maine. She also led the NYC expansion of science education nonprofit Technovation, lectured at The Cooper Union, and taught high school physics and mathematics at The Young Women’s Leadership School as a NYC Teaching Fellow.
Erika started her career as an engineer in the corporate world, working at the Dow Chemical Company, Schlumberger, SchlumbergerSema, IBM and Halliburton.
Erika is the author of Gay the Pray Away: Healing Your Life, Love, and Relationships from the Harms of LGBT Conversion Therapy, which was a #1 New Release in Psychiatry and a #1 Best Seller in LGBT Studies on Amazon Kindle store. The book was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards and won Silver in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. The book teaches acceptance on a personal level.
Erika earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in Teaching from Pace University and an M.Div equivalent from One Spirit Interfaith Seminary. She trained directly with Marianne Williamson as a Miracle-Minded Coach, and she is a SheEO Activator. Erika serves on the national board of Farm Sanctuary and the local boards of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires and the Brien Center in her community. She lives in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts with her partner and two teenage stepsons.
Erika sets the tone with a blend of vulnerability and levity. She delivers memorable keynotes and workshops that reach audiences in the heart and the head. Your audience will leave smarter and inspired.
From Fortune 100 companies to small local businesses to educational institutions to nonprofit organizations, Erika’s done it all. Pulling from her experiences across sectors, from urban to rural, from start-up to legacy, from adults to children, Erika works with leaders from all areas to build stronger, more engaged teams that produce real, tangible solutions.
Erika has spent her career presenting to groups, customers, clients, classrooms, and audiences, large and small. Her most common feedback, regardless of the group, is about her awesome energy. She keeps audiences engaged and drawn in with her captivating vibe. Erika was recently named to Queerency’s 100 Women List honoring LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, creators and leaders. She helps clients build high-energy teams that blow past their strategic goals with ease.
As an out LGBTQ+ person, Erika knows the challenges and advantages of having a lifetime of experiences outside of the norm. She helps clients create cultures that empower all voices to feel welcome contributing, which leads to more fresh ideas, innovative thinking and creative solutions.
Erika is tech-savvy and media-literate. She knows how to keep an audience hooked with multimedia presentations and relevant infotainment. She understands that situations can change and she is flexible in adapting and adjusting to whatever is needed. She practices acceptance in action and keeps the mood calm and light-hearted regardless of the challenge presented or the change needed.
Erika’s book Gay the Pray Away: Healing Your Life, Love, and Relationships from the Harms of LGBT Conversion Therapy, was a #1 New Release in Psychiatry and a #1 Best Seller in LGBT Studies on Amazon Kindle store. The book was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards and won Silver in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. The book teaches acceptance on a personal level.
Reach out today to book Erika for your Organization.