About Erin
Connection drives the work of EMH Food Systems Consulting. Erin is passionate about finding creative, practical solutions to help connect people to community and resources. Erin brings her decade of experience in research, data acquisition and management, data visualization (mapping) and user experience (UX) skillset to design community-led projects. She is powered by clear, effective, and thorough communication. Erin has a natural inclination for building strategy and managing projects. Erin shows up authentically to create thoughtful approaches to the work she co-creates with partners.
Outside of EMH Food Systems Consulting, Erin runs a business called The Patio Farmer, an edible garden consulting business where she helps people across the Charlotte area grow food at home. Through this business Erin utilizes digital platforms to create, manage, market, and distribute educational content and services. She is also a regular contributor on local TV stations and 90.7 WFAE, Charlotte's NPR news source, and loves sharing information with the masses. One of her favorite vegetables to grow (and eat) is lacinato kale. The veins and stems of kale remind her of highways, roads, and points of connection drawn on maps. Hence the inspiration for her branding!
Prior to EMH Food Systems Consulting, Erin teamed up with two other professionals to establish a food system non-profit in Charlotte, NC called Rivendell Carolinas. She is a past-member of the Board of Directors for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council where she led community engagement work during her 3-year term. Erin has worked on farms of all sizes, from Certified Organic production farms to small-scale urban farms, and even a goat dairy!
Erin holds a Master of Arts from King's College London in Global Ethics & Human Values and Bachelors of Arts from Appalachian State University in Spanish and Global Studies. Erin speaks fluent Spanish and spent a year living in Seville, Spain.
Beyond pursuing fulfilling work projects, Erin enjoys spending time with her partner, Marshall, playing with their pit-mix Juniper, tending to her 1-acre homestead, practicing yoga, and traveling to new destinations. A fun fact about Erin is that she is a 500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher and a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner!