Erik's first political memory dates back to fourth grade when everyone wrote on the board who their parents were voting for in the 2008 election, either McCain or Obama. While this may have been a niche occurrence to the D.C. area, he knew there was a reason it stuck with him.

Originally born in North Pownal, Vermont, in the Southern Green Mountains, Erik moved to rural Maryland at the age of three. Growing up, he was always playing soccer and basketball or watching Blockbuster movies on repeat and working at a local farm, landscape business and a ropes course. Growing up so close to the nation's capital, he gained an early liking for politics and loved watching campaign cycles. Erik’s progressive Quaker education allowed him to take many political science-related classes in high school and gain a strong interest in Democratic ideologies. Erik graduated from Gettysburg College with a degree in Political Science and Media Studies, with a minor in Religious Studies. He was a member of the varsity soccer team, college Democrats, and Phi Delta Theta. In the spring of 2020, he had the privilege of studying European politics and media in Berlin, Germany. Working as a Digital Humanities Fellow for the Musselman Library at Gettysburg allowed him to conduct a research project on media bias in the 2016 Presidential Election. Furthering his interest in comparative politics, Erik wrote his thesis on how war and conflict cause social movements and shifts in political culture.

In his first year after college, Erik was a Digital Media Intern at Third Way and worked for the Montgomery County Parks and Planning Association as a Communications Assistant. Most recently, he served under the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate. Erik is excited to be back at Third Way supporting the Communications and National Security teams.