Her Story
About Erica
Erica Vanderlaan is an Enterprise Implementation Consultant, educator, and customer success professional with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations navigate change, adopt new technologies, and achieve meaningful business outcomes. Currently serving as an Enterprise Implementation Consultant at Samsara, she specializes in leading complex software implementations, managing stakeholder relationships, and driving user adoption across organizations of all sizes. Her expertise spans project management, enterprise onboarding, training delivery, and customer enablement, with a consistent focus on creating successful experiences for both clients and end users. Erica is currently mentoring and coaching others in their growth and development.
Before transitioning into the technology sector, Erica spent a decade in education, teaching in Title I schools and later supporting aspiring educators through certification and professional development programs. She also served as a university instructor and field coordinator, mentoring future teachers and helping them build confidence in their skills and careers. Her passion for learning and development naturally evolved into instructional coaching and educational technology, where she guided educators in leveraging technology to enhance teaching, learning, and data-driven decision-making. Throughout her career, Erica has remained committed to one core principle: the power of human connection.
Whether coaching teachers, onboarding enterprise clients, or leading large-scale technology implementations, she combines empathy, strategic thinking, and a customer-first mindset to help individuals and organizations succeed. Known for her ability to translate complex technology into practical solutions, Erica partners with stakeholders at every level—from frontline users to executive leadership—to ensure adoption, maximize value, and drive long-term growth. Her diverse background in education, SaaS, analytics, and implementation enables her to bridge the gap between people and technology, creating lasting impact through collaboration, trust, and continuous improvement.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erica
01What do you attribute your success to?
I am always looking to level up. I have stayed driven from a young age because my father died when I was young, and my whole plan for the future was changed. I needed to step up and make things happen for myself, and so I stopped being reliant on anyone else and started being in the driver's seat. Being in the driver's seat for me meant that I needed to map things out with detail, that I needed to take control and be intentional about what I was doing. Being without parents majority of life will definitely define who you are and help you to realize that you do in fact - need people, but you don't need everyone.
You can still achieve your goals independently, and get it done alone. You can have proud moments knowing that your accomplishments are directly related to your work ethic, that with strategic planning around a dream, anything is possible. I have stayed driven as a lifelong learner for the last 20 plus years, with that attitude of knowing that if my Dad were still here, he would be supportive of my dreams, but even since he's not, I can still do it.
I am very grateful for my Husband, and all of his support for the last decade. Our partnership has been instrumental in my professional success, especially during the start of Motherhood.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think it's a little bit cliche, but I do still believe that if you love what you do, it's just going to make things so much more enjoyable. If you can find a niche, or a product that you love, or whatever it is, right? A mantra, a purpose, an objective, something that you align with is going to keep you there and keep you more passionate about it.
That is really what's driven me, finding things that I love, finding a purpose, and really just leaning into that.
That is why I continue mentoring new teachers, parents and other professionals.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Get involved, speak up and make yourself visible. It is important to be seen and heard, and finding ways to do that, whether it be in a subtle way or a purposeful way can change your experience professionally.
I think visibility definitely can help drive career growth. I would always lean back on that human connection piece that I mentioned earlier, though. If I could speak to the younger generation, I would definitely hone in on those pieces. I think that being visible and making yourself known to others is key. Highlight the work you are doing, showcasing the impact. Don't let the work that you're doing go unviewed or underrated, and definitely make sure that you are getting credit for the work that you're completing. The ideas that you have, you should share those ideas and stay in that visible lane. But I do believe that human connection and prioritizing those relationships can definitely unlock some of those doors for different folks. And I wish I had known that, especially the visibility part, much much sooner.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think that AI falls into both of those. For me, AI is everywhere, and it's great, and it's got lots of opportunities. But because it's new, everyone wants to use it, it's like being utilized for 900 things, even though you really only need it for 2. So there's this overconsumption of ideas that AI is going to solve all the problems, and so I'm trying to navigate and sort through and sift through what I should be using AI for and how I can lean into AI.
That's also the opportunity portion, because AI is great, and it's going to evolve, it will be a game changer, and it's going to help every industry level up. But it's going to take some time to figure out the best way to do that. It's not appropriate for all things, and there's not enough parameters and distinction around how to sift through that overconsumption just yet.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Currently, my main value that I care about the most is being honest and up front. I like to be around people that are real and authentic, so I like to focus on being my most authentic self and being purposeful with my time.
I think the more authentic you are, the more you'll spend time doing the things that matter to you, and that way you can be intentional about your life and what you're doing with it. So, I focus on those things.
... I think being honest, truthful, intentional are all great qualities.
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