Building Bridges: Breaking Barriers
A Campaign For All
About
BUILD TRUST
ENSURE COMPLIANCE
ENHANCE COMMUNITY VOICE
STRENGTHEN FAMILIES & WORKFORCE
UNINCORPORATED, RURAL REPRESENTATION
Erica has lived in Douglas County for over 40 years, raising two children in unincorporated Douglas County—Baldwin City—with her husband, Dustin Rothwell, who is a small business owner in the area. Married for more than 20 years, they have a daughter who works as a Clinical Nursing Associate in the Medical ICU at KU and a son who is a high school senior at Baldwin High School this fall. Their son also works at Hy-Vee and installs awnings. In her limited free time, Erica enjoys gardening (she's a Master Gardener through the K-State Extension), canning, and, for their 20th wedding anniversary, she and Dustin have taken up rock sculpting, learning from several local sculptors in the county. Additionally, Erica will be completing her first Ultra Marathon this October, a goal she set for herself several years ago.
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
Erica holds a B.S. in Business Administration, an M.S. in Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. in Public Health. While pursuing her postgraduate studies, she balanced raising a family, working full-time, advocating for policy change, and mentoring both youth and adults to become tobacco prevention advocates at the county, state, and national levels. Throughout her career, Erica has been involved in policy development, striving to bring diverse perspectives to the table for challenging conversations that lead to consensus.
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Erica has had the privilege of partnering with many amazing organizations over the years to develop pilot programs aimed at improving health outcomes and testing innovative healthcare solutions. The initiatives have included Mobile Integrated Health, Community Health Workers, weight monitoring for Congestive Heart Failure, and social health access referral platforms to inform closed-loop referrals and a social longitudinal record. Additionally, she led the Veterans Reflection Exhibit, Uniting to Combat Hunger, More Healthy Days initiative with blood pressure monitoring cuffs in libraries, Laundry Love, and informed the establishment of Mobile Markets across the nation.
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Her dissertation examined veteran suicides, exploring their relationship to mental health funding, social isolation, loneliness, and methods of suicide.
ADVANCING HEALTH
Erica serves on the Strategic Advisory Board for the Healthcare Institute for Innovations in Quality. In 2023, she was an Advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically on the Arthritis Expert Advisory Panel and Design Team. She has held various elected and volunteer roles with the Kansas Public Health Association (KPHA), including:
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President
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Ex-Officio Board Member
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Treasurer
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Conference Chair
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Chair for Tobacco and Mental Health
Additionally, Erica was the inaugural recipient of the Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC) Champion Award, which recognizes outstanding partnerships, strategies, and interventions that bring together diverse perspectives to enhance patient-centered care and access.