Erica R. Waples

Erica R. Waples hails from a tiny town in rural Delaware and she currently is a Donor Services Officer at Twenty-First Century Foundation (21CF). Prior to joining 21CF, Erica served in a wide variety of roles, including: Community Organizer with New York Unemployment Office; Development Associate with Coro New York Leadership Center; Graduate Assistant at the NYU Research Center for Leadership in Action; and Policy Analyst with the City of New York. Erica was also the staff liaison for the Gulf South Allied Funders (GSAF) – a campaign led by the 21CF, Women Donors Network and Threshold Foundation and Resource Generation to raise $1 million per year from individual donors across the country.

Erica's passions are leadership, volunteering and staying active. She was a teaching assistant for many years for a NYU honors seminar on leadership. Erica also volunteered as a board member with Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media. Team sports have been a major part of Erica's life since she was a child, and she still regularly plays soccer and field hockey. Erica holds a MPA from New York University in International Policy and Management, and a BA from Yale University in Women's Studies with a focus on the African Diaspora.