WIL AI-Driven Engagement Advisory Member

Erica Valliant

Active Term: 02/2026 - 02/2027

Areas of Expertise

• Inspiring Emotional Intelligence
  
• Mentoring and Building a Culture of Mentorship
  
• Advocacy, Actions & Accountability
  
• Driving Ideas, Intellectual Growth & Transformation
  
• Transformational Vs. Transactional Leadership

School Board Director

Saint Paul Public Schools

Erica Valliant is an equity strategist, community leader, and systems-change advocate whose work bridges education, housing, and family stability. Rooted in lived experience as a parent navigating housing instability, Erica leads with authenticity, resilience, and a deep commitment to building systems where families and schools can thrive.

Over the past decade, she has worked across nonprofit, community, and education sectors, guiding organizational culture initiatives, equity infrastructure design, and statewide pilots focused on family well-being. She has advanced strategies at one of the state’s largest family shelters, creating and facilitating equity-focused trainings, leadership development programs, and reflection spaces that centered belonging, accountability, and possibility. Her work has also lifted up two-generation approaches that address the needs of both parents and children together, while emphasizing the power of social capital—the relationships, trust, and networks that strengthen families and communities.

Erica currently serves as an elected School Board Director for Saint Paul Public Schools, helping to govern a district serving more than 33,000 students. She also serves on the City of Saint Paul Charter Commission, previously chaired her District Council for multiple years, and is a board member with the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. Her story is featured in Taking Charge of Change: How Rebuilders Solve Hard Problems by Paul Shoemaker, and she has been honored with a Minnesota House Resolution recognizing her commitment to children, families, and equity.

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