Meet Erik

Erik has spent the last seven years living in Staunton.

Born and raised in Chicago, Erik’s parents worked hard to achieve the American dream for their family. His mom and dad both went to community college, where they met. After graduating, his dad worked nights as a security guard. His mom went on to get her education as a social worker.

They raised Erik and his sister to believe in education, hard work, and the value of knowing as many different kinds of people as possible.

After college at Washington and Lee in Lexington, Erik went on to study and teach English for several years.

Now, Erik helps run Secure Futures, a company that develops and runs solar energy systems and is based right here in Staunton.

After running for the House of Delegates in 2009, Erik co-founded Transition Staunton Augusta, a citizens group dedicated to helping make Staunton and Augusta County more resilient in the face of a challenging economy. His other community activities include teaching at Blue Ridge Community College and for the University of Virginia Continuing Education/OLLI program in Staunton. He’s also a founding board member of the Staunton Creative Community Fund, dedicated to helping local entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses in the area.

Erik and his wife Lindsay live in the Newtown neighborhood with two teenage daughters, Anwyn and Chloe.