Erica N. Music is a mother, educator, athlete, an active community volunteer, and the first in her family to earn a college degree. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Erica earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Marketing Communication from Midway University in 2017. Erica’s career journey has included sales, higher education, and K-12 education. Erica currently serves as Assistant Director of Regional Recruitment for Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky. Erica previously served as the Registrar a her alma mater, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Ky. where she set records as a student athlete in track and competitive cheer. Erica cheered professionally for the NFL and Arena League football teams for four years, including cheering for the Tennessee Titans.

Erica began college in 2000 at the University of Louisville as a traditional college student where she was a two-sport Division 1 college athlete on a full academic scholarship. Family responsibilities and a health crisis with one of her parents forced her to delay her educational goals. Resuming her dream of earning a college degree after a 13-year hiatus since withdrawing, Erica briefly enrolled at Kentucky State University before transferring to Midway University, where she earned her degree.

As an adult learner, Erica pursued her degree while working a full & part time job and taking evening and online courses as a full-time student. Erica’s path to graduation included raising two extremely involved and active children who played sports, instruments, and participated in many academic programs in their schools.

Erica’s educational & professional journey has led her to develop a series of strategies for student leaders, women, adult learners, and education professionals by using her story to encourage, motivate, and rejuvenate adult learners who carry the many complex burdens and responsibilities of pursuing a degree. Erica offers a fun, realistic, and interactive presentation that helps learners and leaders prepare to “BUILD YOUR OWN ARMY!” As a successful track athlete, Erica believes, “if life presents a barrier, that hurdle is never bigger than the finish line.”

Erica’s educational and professional leadership journey has led her to develop a series of strategies for student leaders by using her story to encourage, motivate, and rejuvenate student leaders who carry the many complex burdens and responsibilities of leading on campus while pursuing a degree. Erica offers a fun, realistic, and interactive presentation that helps each student leader prepare to “BUILD YOUR OWN ARMY!”

As a successful track athlete, Erica believes while leading and pursuing a degree, student leaders should always remember, “if life presents a barrier, that hurdle is never bigger than the finish line.”

Learning Objectives
Workshop participants will leave with increased knowledge of the following:

1. Creating a network of support among peer student leaders on and off campus.
2. Strategies to build and sustain relationships with university leaders to create resource networks to support new ideas and initiatives.
3. Processes and strategies to overcome burnout, conflict, and feelings of exhaustion as a student leader.
4. Strategies to balance school life, leadership responsibilities, home life, work life and beyond.
5. Tools to develop a personal philosophy of leadership to withstand the tests of time, pressure, and crisis.
6. Strategies to learn from every victory and failure on the leadership journey.

Ideal Audience: Student Organization Leaders, Fraternity & Sorority Leaders, Full & Part-Time students, First Year students considering becoming a campus leader, New Student & Transfer Orientation, End of Year Leadership Celebrations, and TRIO

Erica’s educational and professional journey has led her to develop a series of strategies for women to lead with SOUL: Strategic, Objective, Unifying, Leadership. Erica leverages her story to encourage, motivate, and rejuvenate women leaders who carry the many complex burdens and responsibilities of leading, serving, and changing organizations. Erica offers a fun, realistic, and interactive presentation that helps women in leadership prepare to “BUILD YOUR OWN ARMY!” As a successful track athlete, Erica reminds every woman in a leadership role that, “if life presents a barrier, that hurdle is never bigger than the finish line.”

Learning Objectives
Workshop participants will leave with increased knowledge of the following:

1. Creating a network of support among women leaders and building new networks of rising stars.
2. Strategies to build and sustain networks to support new ideas and initiatives.
3. Processes and strategies to overcome burnout, conflict, and feelings of exhaustion as a women leader.
4. Strategies to balance life, leadership responsibilities, & beyond.
5. Tools to develop a personal philosophy of leadership to withstand the tests of time, pressure, and crisis.
6. Strategies to learn from every victory and failure on the leadership journey.

Ideal Audience: Women who serve as organizational leaders, Sorority Chapter & Council Leaders, Women’s Resource Centers, First Year women considering becoming a campus leader, Women's Appreciation Month, End of Year Leadership Celebrations

Erica’s educational journey has led her to develop a series of strategies for adult students by using her story to encourage, motivate, and rejuvenate adult learners who carry the many complex burdens and responsibilities of pursuing a degree. Erica offers a fun, realistic, and interactive presentation that helps each adult learner prepare to “BUILD YOUR OWN ARMY!” As a successful track athlete, Erica believes when pursuing a degree an adult student should always remember, “if life presents a barrier, that hurdle is never bigger than the finish line.”

Learning Objectives
Workshop participants will leave with increased knowledge of the following:

1. Creating a network of support among family, friends, co-workers, and other students & finding your campus resources.
2. Strategies to build and sustain relationships with faculty and university leaders.
3. Processes and strategies to enroll, re-enroll, and open your own door to returning to school.
4. How to find and keep scholarships and leverage employer benefits to stay in school.
5. Strategies to balance home life, work life, and school life.

Ideal Audience: Adult & Non-Traditional Student Groups, New Student & Transfer Orientation, Pinnacle & Spire Non-Traditional Student Societies & Clubs, Adult & Transfer Student Commencement Ceremonies

Erica will facilitate an interactive dialogue with participants about the shared experiences of black professionals in Higher Ed or K-12 environments. Reminding her audience to keep students first, Erica actively engages the topics of representation and navigating being the only or among the few while providing strategies to shift from workplace survival to workplace success. Erica offers practical tools to elevate black education professionals to win in & out of the classroom, even when the weight of the journey is heavy. With her honest and energetic style, Erica will empower participants to form their strategy, fuel their spirits, and feed their souls.

Learning Objectives
Workshop participants will leave with increased knowledge of the following:

1. How to create & sustain a professional support network to navigate workplace politics and bureaucracy.
2. Tools to navigate the challenge of being “among the few” or being ‘the only” in education environments.
3. Value of building professional and personal marketability and enhancing professional reputation.
4. Strategies to navigate cultural taxation and the imposed responsibility of being the voice of our students, or colleagues, and our community.

Ideal Audience: Black Staff & Faculty Groups, Cultural Centers, Professional Development Workshops, Higher Ed or K-12 Trainings and Conferences

Competencies: Supervision and Verbal Communication

Feeling like you are the only one doing anything? Consider the possibility your leadership style includes “taking on” what you should “delegate off.” This program asks, “Why don’t you delegate?” “What’s the cost of not delegating?” and encourages a discussion of how this behavior can be interpreted as distrust of your team or a need to be in control. Learn how to play to the strengths of your team and inspire engagement through 5 delegation strategies.

Program Learning Objectives 

Participants will leave with increased knowledge in the following areas:  

1. Strategies to effectively listen, learn, and understand strengths of team, employees, and colleagues; 
2. Strategies to navigate frustrations with team members that create barriers to trust with future projects and partnerships; 
3. to effectively communicate expectations, set goals, and establish standards and timelines for completion; 
4 Tools to navigate self-imposed barriers to delegation and releasing tasks and duties to team members;
5. How to leverage team dynamics to empower, motivate, and utilize skills of other teams.