In her role at MAYA, Erika leads the organization’s strategy development and implementation to foster equitable results both internally and externally. Previously, Erika served as a principal consultant and vice president of the Early Childhood and Families at MAYA and has over twenty years of experience working to uplift the voice of communities to improve the lives of children and families. She started her career as a Teach For America corps member in Houston, Texas, where she taught bilingual elementary school for three years. After teaching, Erika worked as a fellow at The David and Lucile Packard Foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent five years in Washington, D.C. where she worked as a senior education policy analyst at UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latinx civil rights organization. Since returning to Texas in 2012, Erika has worked with several nonprofits focused on policy, advocacy, and community organizing for educational equity, including serving as the Chief of Policy and Advocacy for a statewide nonprofit, Leadership ISD. In addition to her professional experience, Erika also served as an elected member of the Texas State Board of Education from 2015 to 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and a master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas – Austin.
