Mountain Words Festival

Erica Nelson (she/her) prefers a rural lifestyle as she is based in ancestral Ute Territory currently known as Crested Butte, CO. Erica earned a BA in Psychology and Outdoor Leadership from Sierra Nevada College - Lake Tahoe, where she led and facilitated student outdoor courses and developed curriculum for outdoor programming. She is currently a fly fishing guide in the Gunnison Valley and has over 10 years of outdoor guiding and instructing: whitewater, skiing, rock climbing, backpacking, hiking and snowshoeing courses and workshops. She is an avid whitewater boater, a NOLS instructor, and ambassador for Brown Folks Fishing (BFF), which cultivates community for people of color in fishing and its industry through a lens of equity, justice, and inclusion.

Erica has served as co-chair for the Access and Inclusion Gap Year Association Committee and is currently the Board Chair for Women’s Wilderness, and Board member for High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA). Erica has a multifaceted background with over 13 years of people management and leadership experience. Some of her industries include: hospitality management, human resources, marketing, experiential education, corporate leadership and organizational development - Erica is also an Insights Discovery and DiSC Practitioner.

When she is not fly fishing, you can find her on the disc golf course, cross country skiing, snowboarding, relaxing by an alpine lake, or recording new episodes of the Awkward Angler Podcast.