Originally from Washington, D.C., Erika earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with double majors in management and marketing. Her career journey has taken her through a variety of industries, including corporate sales, pharmaceutical sales, quality control and even home design, where she designed sunrooms, screen rooms and other home extensions.

Today, Erika serves as an e-commerce coordinator with GCE Designs, where she supports customer service initiatives while also assisting with production operations and quality control.

“It’s cool. I get to do a little bit of everything; assisting Jenni with putting together (web)stores for our lovely colleagues to shop around the GCE Designs store, assisting Nii, who’s our production manager with whatever he may need,” she said. “I’m also going into quality control and using my past skill set to help ease the production process as best as possible. Since we have such big projects right now, more hands and eyes on deck is a good thing.”

Erika’s path to GCE Designs was complex. During the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty in her customer-facing sales job led her to relocate to Pensacola to be closer to her family. After navigating health challenges and surgeries, she connected with Florida Vocational Rehabilitation, which introduced her to GCE and ultimately led her to GCE Designs.

“What drew me here was the people,” she said. “First off, everyone has a great heart. You can see that they really live the mission. It is a great environment. It’s neat to be able to go someplace where you feel a warm hug when you walk through the door.”

This welcoming environment resonates with Erika, who describes empathy, listening and loyalty as some of her greatest strengths. As a former college athlete and youth sports coach, she has always been someone others naturally gravitated toward.

“Growing up, my challenge was keeping still and not talking so much, but that became a superpower. I became a liaison to other kids who were quiet, shy or afraid. I’d be one of the first people to introduce myself,” she said.

Erika also brings resilience to her work. She is hard of hearing following a childhood accident and recently underwent corrective surgery to improve her hearing. Her experiences have reinforced her commitment to empathy and treating others with kindness.

Since joining GCE Designs, Erika has already made an impact by being a team player and helping out in many different areas.

“What I enjoy most is being part of a team,” she said. “I don’t need to be the one and only to shine. I’ve never chased after stuff like that. I just like being part of a winning team. I’m proud to represent.”

To support the work of GCE Designs team members like Erika, visit GCEdesigns.org.