Erica leads our work for Mattress Firm, setting the pace for one of our largest and busiest cross-functional teams and earning the reputation as “Mama Bear” for her steady, thoughtful style. Before helping to land that business in 2014, she drove significant media relations initiatives for Chick-fil-A, Orkin Pest Control and Primrose Schools and managed publicity for JFK Day, a citywide memorial marking the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination.

She says one of the highlights of her time at JS was working with others to publicize the evolution of Klyde Warren Park. She takes pride in knowing that this engineering marvel, which began as a patch of land over a highway, is now the focal point for many of the city’s cultural gatherings.

Erica joined Jackson Spalding’s Dallas office in 2011, after serving as the Public Relations Manager for The Fairmont Dallas hotel. Her career began at Expedia as one of four hotel evaluators who crisscrossed the country to ensure that the amenities posted on the website matched reality.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in print journalism from Texas Tech University and later earned her Master of Science in public relations from Texas Christian University. In between, she experienced life in Madrid, working as an au pair.

Although Erica was born in El Paso, she moved a lot during her childhood, thanks to her Dad’s career. She considers this transitory upbringing a blessing, especially since it allowed her to meet her husband, Joaquin, during her high school years in Puerto Rico.

Erica has been involved in a number of volunteer organizations over the years, but spends her free time today focusing on her family’s extracurricular activities and maintaining her many friendships across the country.