Excited about SVA and the opportunities it would bring to the community since its inception, Erika spent two wonderful years at SVA as an Instructional Aide before beginning to teach 3rd and 4th grades. Erika’s prior work as an educator includes work at two Catholic elementary schools in Delano, CA and Watsonville, CA, teaching 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. She also coached 7th grade volleyball and loved it! Erika enjoys the unique community that makes up SVA and is especially fond of her talented colleagues, the supportive administration, and, most of all, the awesome students. 

Born in San Francisco, Erika was raised in Visalia, where her father was born and raised. She attended Mt. View Elementary, Green Acres Middle School, and Redwood High School, where she played Varsity softball and volleyball. She also attended St. Mary’s College of California, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Minor in Art. Erika’s prior experience also includes serving as the Executive Director of the ImagineU Interactive Children’s Museum in Visalia and as a volunteer and grant writer for Read for Life, a Visalia based nonprofit organization promoting literacy.

Erika has a knack for playing bluegrass bass, drawing, painting, writing, and multi-tasking. She is  an amazing single mom of three daughters, all of whom attend SVA. She enjoys traveling and loves having Visalia as a home base. She is proud of the city’s smart growth, the wonderful farmers market, awesome music scene, vibrant downtown, fabulous restaurants, proximity to the ocean and mountains, and the progressive thinkers that continue to make it great, like Mrs. Ruth Dutton. 

Erika can often be found hanging out with friends and colleagues and their children, cooking, or studying. Her favorite way to spend a weekend is enjoying family time, organizing closets, walking her dogs, researching ideas for her class, or reading a good book. An active member of the Visalia community, Erika is passionate about the nonprofit world and education and believes that Sycamore Valley Academy is playing a major role in making our community a better place.