Erica Shekell

Erica Shekell joined the PPMI team in January 2024. She has more than a decade of experience in communications, digital strategy and social media, and she most recently served in the Michigan legislature as the Deputy Director of Digital Strategy for the Michigan Senate Democrats. She was part of the team who helped flip the Michigan Senate from red to blue for the first time in 38 years, securing the Democratic trifecta across the Michigan House, Senate and Governor's office that repealed Michigan's outdated 1931 abortion ban, passed the Reproductive Health Act and added LGBTQ people to the non-discrimination protections provided by Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

Prior to the Michigan Senate, Erica worked at Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, the communications offices at Alma College and MSU, and the planning team for MBLGTACC, the largest LGBTQ college conference in the country. She earned her degrees in journalism and media arts and technology from MSU. Her LGBTQ+ advocacy began during her time at Howell High School and included accidentally organizing a Day of Silence protest and fighting administrators' attempt to censor her LGBTQ op-ed in the student newspaper.

Erica lives on Lansing's Eastside with her two cats and two turtles and enjoys hammocking, attending EDM festivals, collecting political buttons, researching the history of her 112-year-old house, cooking (but mostly eating) vegetarian food, building beautiful rainbow-colored spreadsheets to organize her life and otherwise putzing around.