Erika is a Senior Vice President at Tusk Strategies where she specializes in public policy, government relations and strategic communications for our clients in the non-profit and tech spaces.

When Tusk ran Andrew Yang’s upstart campaign for NYC mayor, Erika served as Policy Director, crafting a comprehensive and progressive policy agenda aimed at uplifting working families, improving government accountability and helping the city revitalize after the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

A seasoned government professional, she previously served as Communications and Policy Director for New York City Council Member Rafael Espinal. In that role she successfully guided significant legislation to passage, secured high-profile press coverage on key issues and raised the Council Member’s public profile. Particularly, she was instrumental in achieving the historic repeal of NYC’s notorious cabaret law and the creation of the first-ever Office of Nightlife. She also led a public campaign to extend safety netting in major league baseball stadiums that garnered editorial endorsements, full-page coverage in broadsheet newspapers, and national attention.

Previously, Erika worked for New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, at the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs and on several city and statewide electoral campaigns. As Queens Director in 2014, Erika contributed to Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s resounding reelection victory when the campaign led the statewide ticket with the most votes that year.

Erika has been named by City and State Magazine as a top “10 in their 20s in NYC politics and government, 2021” and is a contributor to opinion pieces in The Hill, The NY Daily News and other publications.

A native New Yorker, Erika graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in politics and earned a Masters of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Oxford. She is a founding member of the 5BORO Institute, a NYC think tank focused on policy solutions to support our recovery, where she serves as Vice Chair.