Dr. Erica Schumann joined the Women’s Fund in May of 2024. Around the office you’ll find her spreading joy, coming up with fantastic ideas and radiating kindness. Erica was recently voted “most likely to be your hype girl” by her teammates.
Erica advocates for community-centric fundraising, a model of fundraising centered around equity, social justice and cultivating belonging. Before joining the Women’s Fund, she was the Capital Campaign and Grants Administrator at Omaha Performing Arts.
Erica has a Bachelor of Arts in history and anthropology from University of Alabama and a Master’s of Art and Doctorate degrees in history from Binghamton University with a specialization in women, gender and sexuality. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games, bike riding, running, attending shows, reading science fiction and exploring Omaha.
Here’s a little bit more about our sweet, strategic and steady Development Manager:
Q: How long have you been at the WFO?
ES: One fantastic year!
Q: Where are you from?
ES: I am originally from Johnson City, Tennessee, but mostly grew up in McKinney, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas.
Q: Do you have any pets? What are their names?
ES: Yes! I have a dog named Davey. He is very charming, and I’ve been told he gives “small-town that elects a dog to be mayor” vibes.
Q: What are your “big 3” astrology signs (moon/rising/sun)?
ES: I know I’m a Scorpio sun but not sure about the others.
Q: What is your Enneagram number? Or Meyers-Briggs? Etc?
ES: Just took an Enneagram test for the purpose of this survey and found out I’m a 3 (The “Achiever”)! Not sure about Meyers-Briggs, but my top 5 Gallup Strengths are Achiever, Learner, Strategic, Relator, and Ideation.
Q: What are your top 5 favorite albums?
ES: In no particular order…
- Portishead – Dummy
- Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Beyonce – Lemonade
- Florence and the Machine – Dance Fever
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
- Honorable mention to Orville Peck’s Bronco and Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter
Q: What are your top 5 favorite movies?
ES: Also in no particular order…
- Barry Lyndon (1975)
- Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)
- Contact (1997)
- Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
- Labyrinth (1986)
Q: What are your top 5 favorite musicals?
ES: In this specific order:
- Hadestown
- Les Mis
- Lion King
- Moulin Rouge
- Cabaret/ Hamilton/ Six tied for fifth place.
Q: Do you have a secret talent?
ES: I am usually pretty great at board games (current favorites include Terraforming Mars, Turing Machine, ArkNova, and Search for Planet X). I can also sing the alphabet backwards.
Q: Do you have a favorite Women’s Fund memory?
ES: Our retreat in November 2024 in Nebraska City. It was great being in community with our team outside of Omaha so we could refocus on our work together.
Q: Can you share something funny or cringeworthy from your career?
ES: Whenever I start a new job, I need to put a little sticky note on my phone for the first few months with my title and place of employment. In the past, I’ve gotten in the pattern of saying one thing that I’ve answered the phone saying the wrong organization and really confused people on the line.
Q: How do you find joy or hope these days?
ES: I find a lot of joy and hope at the local, even hyper-local level. I think community and mutual aid is so important. So much seems insurmountable and overwhelming, but zooming in on the things I can do and joy I can create at the local level helps me sustain hope.
Q: What are your currently reading/listening to?
ES: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. I’m a big fan of Sci-Fi and have a goal to read all the Hugo Award winners, which is the big annual Sci-Fi/ Fantasy book award. This one was the 2019 winner.
Q: What’s an unpopular opinion you have?
ES: I love Daylight Savings Time. I love going around my house and updating all my clocks. It feels like a fun little ritual twice a year, and I will be sad if it ever goes away. Springing forward is my favorite.
My other unpopular opinion is that I don’t think the new year should start until spring. I’m supposed to kick off new beginnings on January 1, in the dead of winter?? No, thank you. I will rise anew when the tulips do.