Erika is the Director of Academic Services in the University of Washington Department of Communication. In her tenure at the Department, Erika is focused on advising undergraduate students interested and pursuing the Communication and Journalism and Public Interest Communication (JPIC) majors, curriculum planning, and programming for the access, retention, and completion of student’s degrees.

Prior to this position, Erika worked in the Department of Communication as an Academic Adviser to undergraduate students and the University of Washington Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity as their Program Manager. In addition, Erika was the Operations Manager for the Department of Communication’s Civil Rights Pilgrimage trips. Through her graduate program Erika interned at the UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity as their Educational Opportunity Program Advising Intern and later instructed for their office as an EOP Scholars Academy Seminar Adviser. Through these positions Erika provided academic counseling to students who identified as underrepresented.

She received her Master of Education in Leadership in Higher Education from the University of Washington College of Education in 2017. Prior to her graduate work, Erika received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with minors in Education, Learning, and Society (ELS) and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) from the University of Washington in 2013.

Erika is truly passionate about education and serving communities around her, especially with the development and advancement in higher education. With over a decade’s worth of experience at the University of Washington, she has been able to continue to develop her skills and knowledge of working with diverse groups of students at different academic levels. Her interests also include the depictions of race, gender, and sexuality within media, the success of underrepresented populations in higher education, and the process of how people choose to identify themselves.

Outside of the office Erika loves to explore the outdoors as well as new cities and towns around the Pacific Northwest, rain or shine. You can also find her playing pinball, boxing, or trying out new recipes.