Erica Fields

Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Learn to Earn Dayton 

Erica Fields leads Learn to Earn Dayton’s initiatives targeted in focused geographies where access to opportunity is limited and achievement gaps are the greatest, in partnership with districts, higher-education institutions, out-of-school providers, and student-centered community-based organizations. She is also a Kettering Foundation 2025 Dayton Democracy Fellow. At Learn to Earn, Fields is responsible for driving systemic change, with a particular focus on ensuring that those directly impacted and often disenfranchised have voice, influence, and power. Previously, Fields served as the executive director of the City of Dayton’s Human Relations Council, where she led citywide programs to promote and improve understanding and policies that impact fair housing, civil rights, and access to opportunity. Fields has also held several leadership roles in state and local government, where she advocated for statewide policies that advanced youth career pathways and economic self-sufficiency programs for the most vulnerable and underrepresented populations. Fields is a member of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee at the Dayton Art Institute, on the Leadership Committee of the Regional Equity Institute of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, on the board of directors for the Gem City Market, and on the board of directors of Dayton Access Television. She has been recognized as a Dayton Business Journal 40 Under 40 Hall of Famer, a Bizwomen Power 50 awardee, and was honored as the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center’s 2023 Community Professional for promoting fair housing choice and fostering a secure and diverse community free of discrimination. She earned her BA and MPA degrees from Wright State University.