Erica is an award-winning journalist, content marketer and travel industry veteran with more than 25 years of media experience across broadcast, print and digital media. Her work has appeared on ABC, NBC, FOX, A&E, TIME, Travelzoo, Yahoo Travel, Frommer’s Travel, Fodor’s, Orbitz, Travelocity, SheBuysTravel, The New Zealand Herald and several AAA magazines. She currently serves as a contributing editor for AAA’s The Extra Mile digital publications.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s world-renowned Medill School of Journalism, Erica blends journalistic rigor with creative storytelling and business savvy—a mix that helped her become an early pioneer in content marketing and informs the breadth of her work today.

Her wanderlust has taken her around the globe—and often off the beaten path—shaping a reporting career defined by range and adaptability. Her work has led her from trekking Everest Base Camp to camping with the Bedouins in Jordan, from silent retreats at ashrams across three continents to high-adrenaline moments on safari in Tanzania. Along the way, she’s chased UFO sightings in Sedona, studied Italian cuisine in Positano, snorkeled with wildlife in the Galápagos and participated in cultural rituals in India—experiences that mirror a career equally comfortable interviewing politicians on Capitol Hill, convicted killers in prison and world-renowned medical experts.

Her storytelling has earned recognition from her peers: in 2025, she received the Silver Medal in the Travel Category from the International Food, Wine & Travel Writer’s Association for her piece “The Power of the Powwow” (AAA The Extra Mile Magazine).

She began her career as an on-air reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the aftermath of 9/11. She worked in local television news before transitioning into a documentary production for Emmy-nominated programs such as “Cold Case Files” under the mentorship of legendary journalist Bill Kurtis. Erica produced and wrote more than 40 storylines for the true-crime documentary series, traveling across the country to interview detectives, forensic scientists, victims and convicted killers.

As digital media grew, Erica helped shape it. As Director of Destinations Content for Travelzoo, Erica led a global content marketing arm for a travel publisher with 28 million subscribers worldwide and built a multimillion-dollar piece of the business that worked in partnership with tourism boards to tell stories of destinations around the world.

After an around-the world sabbatical studying yoga and meditation, Erica returned home to contribute regularly to Orbitz and Yahoo Travel—helping Yahoo Travel become the No. 1 digital travel publication in the world. She’s also consulted for major brands and advertising agencies on content marketing strategies and has taught journalism at Northwestern University and DePaul University.

Today, Erica continues to freelance while raising her family near Chicago—always ready for the next adventure, wherever it may take her.