Erika Halstead is a nonprofit leader dedicated to closing the opportunity gap through education. Since 2015, she has served as Executive Director of Minds Matter NYC, an organization focused on helping low-income students get to and through college. Previously, she has served as a bilingual teacher, lecturer in literature, and as the Senior Program Officer at Humanities New York. Erika holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and a EdM from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was named a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” by the Hispanic Coalition of New York and an inaugural member of the Pinkerton Advanced Leadership Network for nonprofit leaders of color.