Erika Backberg
PORTFOLIO: DESIGN STRATEGIST & SENIOR LEADER
Hello! I am a collaborative BIPOC Social Impact Design Strategist who is deeply curious about and committed to solving big challenges.
As a seasoned strategist, I have extensive experience in senior leadership and consistently transforming projects that advance access and equity, while also generating growth revenue. My career is defined by jumping into a broad range of industries and building success through strategic insight, design-thinking practices, and mindfully managing client relationships.
Below are highlighted case studies illustrating how I have helped private and public sector clients create and achieve their social impact goals.
📧 erikabackberg@gmail.com | My LinkedIn
On a more personal note…
Fun facts about me: I play soccer, love a good thunderstorm, and have physically run into Pierce Brosnan three times —in Hong Kong, Kauai, and Los Angeles.
Artistically, I’m proud to share that my creativity and interpersonal wizardry have earned me a few fun accolades, including three short films worthy of Festival De Cannes, a Super Bowl commercial by CareerBuilder, and ‘Best Children's Educational Computer Content’ by Wildscreen for my interdisciplinary research in watershed education. For these achievements, I was named one of the Top 100 Creatives of the Twin Cities, coupled with my success as the founder and namesake designer of Erika Bee, an eco-ethical jewelry brand.
Case Studies
Designing International Community-Centered
ReUse System
Target | Los Angeles, CA
Challenge
From inception to implementation, I was tasked to design and manage a zero-waste (90%+ diversion from the landfill) reuse system for the Target corporation from 2009 to 2012. Having developed zero-waste TV commercial production solutions for brands like Honda, Proctor & Gamble, Levis, and Wieden+Kennedy, my most ambitious project was with Target through EcoSet due to the sheer number of TV commercials they produce quarterly and the amount of waste commercial shoots discard daily.
Main Challenges:
Managing Large-Scale Waste in the Film Industry: These TV commercial shoots were powered by teams of 50-150 people, operating 10 to 50 film trucks across multiple shoot locations. They generated a minimum of .5 ton/1,000 lbs. of waste per day = annual waste generated by one American. I faced a significant challenge in managing the enormous amount of waste generated by national and international television commercials.
Developing Customized Donation Programs: This multi-national client, required tailored programs to donate repurposable materials from production sets to community organizations worldwide. This challenge involved creating a scalable and efficient system to effectively handle and redistribute these materials.
It was an immense undertaking to turn these costly, fast-passed, “build-and-dump” shoots into zero-waste productions.
WORK
Working intimately with the Target corporation, I researched their current process and collaboratively set goals that would exceed their company initiatives. To do so, I created the Reuse & Reclaim Partnership Program by building and nurturing a Rolodex of public schools, local artists, community leaders, and non-profits to repurpose products used in the commercials, along with large set pieces and building materials.
Conducted design research via surveys and interviews to better understand the client’s needs, contractor needs (production teams), and industry standards + outliers.
Ideated, prototyped, tested, and iterated the partnership vetting process and donation program, ensuring repurposed materials would have the longest second life and most significant community impact. This included designing systems for collecting, sorting, and redistributing materials and creating templates for client sustainability reports.
Collected and analyzed data for each production.
Prepared narrative, financial, and statistical impact reports for client and production staff, for each production.
Results
Environmental Impact: My zero-waste initiatives diverted over one million pounds of set materials from the landfill.
Process Efficiency: Pioneered a bespoke plug-and-play zero-waste program that set the industry standard and could be deployed on any film location for this client.
Community Impact: The donation program enriched the lives of numerous people globally. By redistributing valuable materials, my initiatives supported over 250 community organizations and provided supplies to teachers, clothes to teen mothers, and food to the homeless.
Scale and Longevity: The programs I designed and implemented have scaled tenfold over the years. The infrastructure and systems put in place continue to be used, benefiting countless people and organizations.
Client-Specific Success: Orchestrated & implemented zero waste repurposing initiatives for 40+ multi-million dollar Target commercials, diverting 90%+ of waste from the landfill. This initiative not only managed the waste efficiently but also raised awareness about sustainability among Target's production crews and stakeholders.
Relevant links
Expanding Access to Functional Medicine Education
Kresser Institute | Berkley, CA
challenge
When Kresser Institute, a functional and ancestral medicine education leader, transitioned from the start-up phase into the scale-up phase, the company faced several growing pains. To help support the transition, I was brought on board as the Chief Impact Officer to spearhead the development of a new social impact growth strategy while enhancing the overall organizational culture by fostering a more inclusive, human-centered internal environment.
The primary challenges at Kresser Institute were twofold:
Organizational Culture: Enhancing internal processes to foster a more inclusive, engaging, and effective workplace.
Strategic Partnerships: Establishing and scaling a comprehensive partnership program that aligned with the institute’s vision and values.
Work
Develop and implement a multi-year social impact growth strategy.
I began designing the strategy by conducting an organizational audit by conducting research and stakeholder interviews to understand the needs and aspirations of both internal team members, the people who had worked hard to make this educational institution what it was and potential partners.
Next, key pain points and opportunities were identified within the existing partnership framework and internal processes. This included operational inefficiencies and a lack of clear communication channels.
Facilitated collaborative workshops to brainstorm innovative solutions. These sessions brought together diverse voices from within the organization to co-create strategies that were both ambitious and achievable.
Work (Continued)
Developed a multi-year social impact growth strategy proposal based on my findings from the array of one-on-one user interviews, ideation workshops, historical organizational data, and online user reviews. The following initiatives were in different phases of the implementation process, ranging from pilot to full adoption.
Organizational Culture Enhancement:
Learning-by-Doing: Introduced an iterative learning process to adapt and improve workflow continuously. This included regular feedback loops with partners and internal stakeholders.
Holistic Well-being: Implemented practices and worked with managers to support the holistic well-being of employees, promoting a balanced work environment that prioritized mental and physical health.
Leadership and DEI Initiatives: Developed a leadership incubator program focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This program aimed to nurture future leaders within the organization and foster a culture of inclusivity.
Human-Centered Processes: Introduced new meeting designs and facilitation techniques to create more engaging and productive interactions. This included establishing clear rules of engagement and improving communication practices.
Strategic Partnerships:
Vision and Strategy Development: I crafted a detailed strategy that aligned with Kresser Institute’s long-term goals, focusing on creating mutually beneficial relationships with partners.
Community Impact Prototype: Spearheaded the development and implementation of the ADAPT Trailblazer Health Coaching Fellowship at Kresser Institute, securing full-ride scholarships for 20 under-resourced and -represented health coaches annually.
results
Community Impact: Shifted social enterprise contribution to global health equity.
Increased employee retention by fostering a 35% increase in employee engagement and satisfaction through improved workplace culture practices.
Leadership Development: The new leadership and DEI initiatives empowered employees to take on leadership roles, contributing to a more dynamic and resilient organization.
Cultural Transformation: Fostered a more inclusive and collaborative work environment where employees felt valued and heard. This cultural shift improved overall morale and productivity.
Process Efficiency & Cultural Transformation: Revamped organizational strategies by developing 30+ new policies and procedures, reinforcing our commitment to social impact and impacting all levels of operation.
Community Impact: Trailblazer Health Coaching Fellowship secured full-ride scholarships for 20 under-resourced and under-represented health coaches annually, significantly reducing healthcare disparities and enhancing community health outcomes globally.
relevant link
Helping a Community Clinic Reimagine Equitable Whole-Person
Care Post COVID-19
Pathways | Minneapolis, MN
challenge
Pathways, a longstanding non-profit that provides free functional healthcare services to patients with chronic and terminal health challenges, was hard hit by COVID-19 and needed to pivot in a new direction to serve the new community's needs. I was hired as the Executive Director to turn this thirty-five-year-old ship around.
Work
I conducted a thorough financial audit, encompassing accounts, policy compliance, the effectiveness of past marketing campaigns, donor revenue going back ten years, and operations expenses. Despite the sensitive nature of presenting findings to a longstanding board, actions were taken to optimize resource allocation, modernize the office building, emphasize community-designed health programs, and advocate for the organization’s inclusive practices.
WorK (Continued)
To explore and tackle these challenges, I leaned heavily on design-thinking principles, my functional health training, and coaching skills, which have always been my go-to for fostering creativity and practical solutions. Here’s how I approached it:
Empathize: First, I immersed myself in understanding the needs, motivations, and pain points of our team and the community we serve. I conducted interviews, focus groups, and surveys to gather insights and ensure everyone felt heard.
Define: With all that information in hand, I defined the core problems: team cohesion, operational inefficiencies, cultural stagnation, and financial instability. This helped in setting a clear vision and purpose for our transformation.
Ideate: Next, I facilitated brainstorming sessions and workshops to generate ideas for improving team dynamics, operational processes, and our organizational culture. I encouraged everyone to think outside the box and contribute their creative solutions.
Prototype: We then developed prototypes for new SOPs, team-building activities, and inclusive cultural practices. These were tested on a small scale to gather feedback and make necessary adjustments.
Test: Implementing these prototypes allowed us to refine our solutions based on real-world feedback, ensuring they were effective and aligned with our needs.
Implement: Finally, we rolled out the new SOPs, team-building initiatives, and cultural practices organization-wide.
results
Cost Reduction: As a team, we ethically cut monthly operation expenses by 22%, significantly improving our financial health.
Vision and Strategy Development: Designed a two-year strategy to lead the organization out of the pandemic and into financial security.
Program Expansion and Impact: We expanded our program offerings, reaching 20% more community members and enhancing our overall impact.
Increased Donations: I developed a comprehensive marketing strategy and updated our tech stack to increase donations, which support our mission and programs.
Deeper Integration of Equity Principles: My leadership catalyzed a deeper integration of equity principles, enhancing fairness and inclusivity across the organization.
Enhanced Program Design: We improved our program design to better reflect and serve the needs of our community, ensuring our offerings were relevant and impactful.
Enhanced Team Cohesion and Communication: The team became more cohesive and communicative thanks to new team-building activities and inclusive cultural practices.
Operational Efficiency: Implementing new SOPs led to a 30% improvement in operational efficiency, with reduced service delivery times and increased consistency in service quality.
Improved Organizational Culture: I fostered a culture of inclusivity and psychological safety, creating a safe space for everyone to be valued and heard. This cultural shift improved engagement and satisfaction among staff, volunteers, and service recipients and was vital for our holistic healing mission.
Progressive Sustainability Steps: We made progressive steps toward a sustainable operational model grounded in equity and holistic well-being, setting the foundation for long-term success.
Helping Capital Defense Teams Modernize their Investigation Process
Federal Government | New Orleans, LA
challenge
I had the rare opportunity to apply design research techniques in a non-traditional setting as a Capital Defense Mitigation Investigator. I engaged in this human rights work by aligning with federal and state capital defense legal teams to perform in-depth social history investigations for indigent clients facing capital murder charges.
One of my notable challenges arose while working on a high-stakes federal pre-trial case in New Orleans, Louisiana. The case required me to delve into extensive field research, gathering critical data under pressing time constraints while establishing trust with diverse community groups and individuals affected by the case.
work
I applied a design-thinking approach to tackle the complexities of capital defense mitigation. I developed and implemented an innovative field investigation strategy through this lens, fostering relationships across various sectors to obtain crucial information. My approach involved meticulously designing data collection and analysis methods, enabling me to assemble a comprehensive seven-generation socio-biographical chronology of the client's life. This task demanded significant trust-building and empathetic communication, particularly to unearth a pivotal 42-year-old medical record from a defunct institution.
Work (Continued)
I applied design-thinking and community-organizing approaches to tackle the complexities of capital defense mitigation. These methodologies allowed me to navigate the multifaceted challenges systematically and empathetically. Here's a breakdown of my process using design-thinking principles:
Empathize: I began by deeply understanding the client’s background. I engaged in extensive ethnographic research to uncover their biological, psychological, and social history. This involved building trust with diverse communities and stakeholders, including family members, healthcare providers, and potential witnesses.
Define: I identified critical areas where historical evidence was missing or insufficient. By clearly defining the problem spaces, I could focus on locating essential records and testimonies that were pivotal for the defense.
Ideate: I brainstormed various strategies for gathering the necessary information. This included innovative approaches to contacting closed institutions, tracing long-lost records, and engaging with a wide range of community members worldwide to piece together the clients' life stories.
Prototype: I developed a robust strategy for field investigations, which included designing detailed data collection methods. I piloted these strategies on smaller cases to refine my approach and ensure the effectiveness of my methods.
Test: I tested my strategies in real-world scenarios through persistent effort and iterative refinement. This iterative process involved continuous feedback and adaptation, ensuring the collected evidence was comprehensive and accurate.
results
Detailed Social History Profiles: I created comprehensive social history profiles for each client, mapping out multi-generational data that highlighted the impacts of trauma, mental illness, intellectual deficits, and socio-economic challenges on client behavior and cognition.
Life-Saving Evidence: I personally tracked down a 42-year-old document that no one in the state knew existed. This single piece of evidence changed the outcome of the defendant’s case, saving his life by preventing the death penalty and securing life imprisonment instead.
Trust and Community Engagement: My ability to build trust within diverse communities led to the discovery of crucial testimonies and records that were previously inaccessible. Empathic and respectful communication fostered strong relationships, enabling me to gather vital information.
Extensive Data Collection: My efforts resulted in the collection of thousands of records and testimonies, which were systematically cataloged and analyzed. uncovered a staggering 73% of the team's requested documents, far surpassing the typical 40% retrieval rate for legal teams. This extensive data collection provided a strong evidentiary foundation for legal defenses.
Increasing Media Literacy in St. Paul
Saint Paul Neighborhood Network | St. Paul, MN
Challenge
In the early 2000s, the gap among urban youth without access to the internet was already a growing problem. To address this challenge, the city of St. Paul granted funds to SPNN, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching media literacy to St. Paul residents.
Main Challenges included:
Community Awareness: Increasing the visibility and impact of youth media programs to garner more community support and recognition.
Skill Development: Comprehensive curricula needed to be developed that would speak to and equip today's youth with essential media literacy and technical skills, ensuring they were prepared for future opportunities.
Low Youth Engagement: The initial enrollment numbers of under-resourced youth enrolling and completing SPNN's programs were considerably low, reflecting a lack of access and outreach to this targeted local youth community.
Work
I was hired to enhance the department's impact, foster a greater sense of community, and provide more young individuals with meaningful opportunities to express themselves and develop critical thinking skills.
Leveraging my Americorps service and leadership training, digital media expertise, and community partnership connections, I identified the key areas to amplify outreach efforts to increase youth engagement and promote media literacy on a larger scale.
I then developed pilot programs to test new curriculum modules and outreach strategies.
‘My Media’ Outreach Program to help our organization focus on broadening its reach and deepening its impact.
Youth Intern Program (YIP), which focuses on hands-on learning and practical experience in media production — emphasizing community engagement, media literacy, critical/analytical thinking & leadership, facilitating student success & increasing community involvement.
Work (continued)
Key Actions
My Media Campaign: I strategically designed the 'My Media Campaign' outreach campaign to help SPNN broaden its reach and deepen its impact. Leveraging my Americorps service and leadership experience, digital media expertise, and community partnership connections, I identified key areas to amplify outreach efforts to increase youth engagement and promote media literacy on a larger scale.
Lead Designer and Director: As the lead designer, director, and implementor of ‘My Media Campaign,’ I expanded partnerships with local schools and community organizations. Utilizing targeted outreach efforts, she helped SPNN attract a more diverse, creatively curious, and civically engaged group of teenagers. This initiative was grounded in my commitment to fostering a collaborative environment where the Twin Cities metro youth could explore media production, express their perspectives, and develop valuable skills to help shape their communities.
Establishing Relationships: I established and maintained relationships with the Board of Directors, external community groups, leaders, organizations, schools, and parents. This network expanded awareness of SPNN Youth programs and youth-produced media content through social media networking, television, and community referral partnerships.
Recruitment Strategies: I developed, implemented, and evaluated departmental youth recruitment strategies, ensuring that the programs reached a broader audience and attracted diverse participation.
Youth Intern Program: I created the Youth Intern Program and managed its implementation. This included developing policies, procedures, day-to-day operations, facility management, and ensuring compliance with grant requirements. I recruited, hired, trained, and supervised over 50 paid interns, providing them with valuable hands-on experience and professional development opportunities.
Results
Increased Youth Enrollment: The ‘My Media’ Outreach Program successfully increased youth enrollment by 300%.
Recognition and Awards: The success of the SPNN Youth department, alongside Erika's leadership, led to significant recognition, including local and national awards for the innovative and impactful nature of the youth media programs.
Community Impact: The Youth Intern Program equipped youth with essential skills and enhanced community awareness and involvement through partnership screenings and collaborative projects with local schools and organizations. This collaborative effort expanded the reach and impact of SPNN’s youth media programs.
Successful Curriculum Implementation: I designed and taught a flagship Youth Intern Program (YIP), an intensive job training course that covered leadership, community engagement, and documentary filmmaking. Taught students to write, storyboard, shoot, and edit over 100+ documentaries screened for the community. The program saw a 100% graduation rate, with over 200 under-resourced youth benefiting from the curriculum. Parts of my program are still being taught today.
Enticing the Public into Tasting Sound
SoundBite Dinner Series | San Diego, CA
Challenge
SoundBite Dinner is a multi-sensory dining experience in San Diego. Top chefs create six courses inspired by local musicians. Each band presents their song during a live performance as a new dish emerges from the kitchen to accompany the ballad. It’s a pop-up dining experience that hits all your senses.
The idea of pairing food with music was a unique experience. While the quality of dishes served and the overall level of each event was superb, the project was struggling to find patrons to fill seats for each pop-up dinner. Was the idea too avant-garde for the general public? Or was the ideal foodie just unaware of this harmonious feast for the senses?
Work
Researched industry and competitor landscape
Facilitated creative strategy brainstorming sessions with the owner
Crafted email campaigns that doubled sales
Created unique monthly campaigns for social media platforms
Helped expand the concept to a second bi-monthly location
Results
After applying new research data, and adjusting the marketing strategy, we were able turn 80% full events into consistent sold out happenings. With stable ticket sales converting into reliable budgets, the client was able to invite local chefs to participate, knowing there was now market fit for their social experiment.
While it was a challenge for this pop-up dining concept to find its loyal audience, it became a hot spot for food lovers and musicians alike. Furthermore, since each event was completely unique, the percentage of repeating patrons had grown from 13% to 65%.
SoundBite was a success on multiple fronts. It gave local chefs a platform to showcase their culinary skills to the public and drumming up new business at their respective restaurants. In an industry that is pretty cutthroat, where businesses are run on razor-thin budgets, you don’t often have the time to go out and taste another restaurant's menu. These events bonded neighborhood chefs around their common language of food. It was a beautiful thing and a win for the community of San Diego.
📧 erikabackberg@gmail.com | ☎️ 612.314.9864 | Resume | LinkedIn