Erika Yingling
Director, Eastern Area at United Way of Greater Cincinnati
Erika Yingling is a non- profit leader with expertise in social service management, development, community outreach and relationship building. Growing up in a small town in northern Ohio to a "real life farmer," Erika learned quickly the ethics of hard work, building sustainable relationships and meeting community-based needs. Watching her father advocate for farmers locally and regionally, taught Erika to have a voice and advocate for those in need.
After graduating at age 16, Erika began her college journey at the University of Cincinnati DAAP. Though creating art was always her passion, she knew early on that she must work to engage her community in other ways. Thus, Erika obtained a master's degree in gender studies from the University of Cincinnati where she enjoyed working as a field service instructor for several years. During this time, Erika taught many classes on equity, diversity and intersectionality through the lens of each individual person who had a story to tell or their own history to write.
After several years of teaching, Erika went on to receive a master's degree in special education from the College of Mount Saint Joseph. During this time, she sought to address how trauma impacted a student’s academic development and interventions that focused on strength and resiliency building rather than deficiencies. Erika soon after began teaching at Northern Kentucky University where she was able to develop her own curriculum and classes that brought together these issues and solutions.
Not long after, Erika began her career as a non-profit director and lead multiple initiatives locally, regionally and nationally that continued to focus on bringing the voice of the community to find new solutions to old problems. A strategic and dedicated leader, Erika's work and program expertise continued to bridge service gaps, connect people and strategically engage future stakeholders to eradicate the issues all communities face through a trauma informed and responsiveness service delivery model.
Erika has managed programs in Hamilton, Clermont, Brown and Adams counties and initiated a seamless continuum of care and service delivery model. As a member of the leadership team of Joining Forces for Children, and co- chair to the Community Connections channel, Erika worked with Cincinnati Children's Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children to bring conversations of Adverse Childhood Experience and resiliency building to the eastern counties through connections, awareness and educational training. Over the course of her career, Erika has had success in bridging relationships, programs and highlighting the impact and voice of the community through dedicated servant leadership and visionary collaboration.
When she isn't working to increase and strengthen our communities, Erika dedicates herself to her 11 year-old daughter, her various sports and community volunteering with her school community, and other passion based interests.