Erika Pierce has been a New York state resident for most of her life. In 2000, Erika, her husband, Clay, and their two young children moved to Katonah where they continue to reside more than twenty years later.
 
She has a bachelor's degree in English from Barnard College and a master’s degree in Education from Manhattanville College, where she was the recipient of their Award for Academic Excellence.  Erika has additionally studied business at NYU.
 
Prior to 2017, Erika worked for a combination of private businesses and non-profit organizations.  For over a decade, she was the financial officer for a mid-sized printing company in Manhattan. More recently, she served as company manager for a non-profit touring theatre company where she also provided assistance with educational and Veterans’ programming.
 
Throughout her years in Westchester, Erika has always been involved in the community. When her children were young, Erika was instrumental in the design and construction of the community vegetable garden at the local elementary school, one of the first at that time. She also helped shape and deliver the accompanying environmental programming. When her kids were older, she was involved in Arts Alive, and served on committees for the school board. Erika has also served as a mentor for Bedford 2030 for their Greenlight program and as a volunteer in Jacob Burns Film Center’s educational outreach program. She’s also served as a long-time judge for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and volunteered for and served on committees supporting other local non-profits, including the Community Center of Northern Westchester, the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, and Westchester’s Christmas Dinner. 
 
From 2018 to 2021, Erika served as Legislative Aide to County Legislator Kitley Covill. Erika was elected to the Westchester Board of Legislators in November of 2021.­­­