Her Story
About Erika
Erika R. Burnett brings over two decades of experience to her work in nonprofit capacity building and community development. She serves as Executive Director of The Village, where her daily responsibilities vary to meet the evolving needs of Black-serving nonprofits in Nashville. Burnett's educational foundation includes an undergraduate degree in English Education from Tennessee State University, after which she taught in Metro Nashville Public Schools, and a Master's degree in Community Development Action from Vanderbilt University. Her professional path began with roles at Hands on Nashville, launching the Youth Volunteer Corps and later a service learning curriculum for TSU freshmen, followed by managing a federal grant at the YWCA. She attributes her success to moving intentionally in purpose, saying yes to opportunities aligned with her values and no when integrity is at stake. Burnett values the voices of those closest to community issues and prioritizes creating safe, affirming spaces both professionally and personally. She advises young women, especially Black women, to choose themselves first, preserve their wholeness, get curious, and trust their gut while navigating systems not built for their full well-being.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erika
01What do you attribute your success to?
I wake up and I say yes to moving through this world exactly how I know I am created and purposed to. That means saying yes to certain relationships and no to others, saying yes to opportunities even when scared, and no when it compromises integrity. Integrity is very important, and that is why community trusts me. I attribute my success to saying yes to being exactly who I am and moving intentionally in purpose.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Make sure that you are choosing yourself first. Never abandon yourselves in service of the greater good because there has to be balance. Preserve your wholeness because the system has not been built for us to be whole while doing this work. Get curious, take advantage of things around you, trust your gut, but preserve your wholeness in order to be a light for our community.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In work life, I value voices of those in closest proximity to the issues and challenges of community, and creating better structures and systems for those voices to be heard and for action rooted in policy, laws, funding, resources, access, and pipelines. I am passionate about speaking truth about where things have been harmful. In personal life, I prioritize joy, spending time with people that matter, and creating safe and affirming spaces because we are getting more siloed.
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