Erica Barreto Co-President (she/hers) is a multicultural educator and community change-maker who produces courageous and experiential spaces for education, dialogue, and action. Her heartwork centers on creating and sustaining vital, enriching spaces where communities can thrive while celebrating meaningful pathways for success, connection, and freedom. Born to first-generation immigrant parents from Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Guia Monte Juntos, Algarve, Portugal, Erica grew up in the Hudson River Valley, NY, before moving to the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans, presently known as the Berkshires. Erica works at Berkshire Community College (BCC), coordinating Student Belonging. Barreto is the Co-President of the board of directors for WAM Theatre and Chair of the Governance Committee. For her advocacy work in uplifting historically marginalized communities, Erica was named 2025 Exceptional Women of Berkshire County Honoree by the Zonta Club of Berkshire County in honor of International Women’s Day. In 2022, Barreto was a BCC 40 Under 40 Honoree, regionally recognized for advancing equity-centered change at Mass. College of Liberal Arts’ Institute for the Arts and Humanities (MCLA-IAH). Erica believes that play is sacred and joy is our birthright. Her intention is to be the softness in a hard place. She enjoys dancing and dreaming, and deeply subscribes to the Seven Core Assumptions: What We Believe to Be True.