Erica Karen López
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Erica Karen López After graduating from Yale University, Erica conducted research on immigration and education as a research assistant and was a Bush Fellow at the Center for Child Development and Social Policy at Yale University. Before matriculating at the University of Wisconsin Law School as an Advanced Opportunity Fellow, where she received a full-tuition scholarship, she worked at Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton and at the founding site for the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnerships at Boston Medical Center.
For over a decade, she was a public benefits, disability, housing, and eviction attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. She was the founding Director and Clinical Instructor of the Eviction Defense Clinic (EDC) at the Economic Justice Institute at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She was the founder and Executive Director of The Peoples Law Center | Centro de Derecho de la Gente, a pandemic project focusing on representing marginalized and undocumented people in housing civil matters. Most recently, she worked at the Dane County Corporation Counsel’s office, specializing in affordable housing and general civil litigation. She has used all of the skills garnered at every stage of her career to launch MiVidaEsArte, a mission-driven media company dedicated to promulgating art, social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion and access.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
- That immigrant and Indigenous communities represent vibrant, beautiful cultures that deserve celebration and preservation.
- How Erica leverages her legal background to advocate effectively for marginalized and undocumented communities.
- Why MiVidaEsArte merges art, social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and access into one mission-driven company.
- That people should earn reasonable wages and reinvest above-average compensation back into the Latinx community.
- How Erica turns her own life into performance art that celebrates immigrant culture and history.
- Why access to art and education about culture and history preserves tradition while modernizing it.
- How The Peoples Law Center protects housing rights for marginalized and undocumented people during the pandemic.
- Why fundraising and community investment create hope and love in times of darkness for vulnerable communities.
- How Erica’s journey from Yale researcher to housing attorney informs her mission-driven media leadership today.
about the show
Women In Power is an entrepreneur TV series featuring female entrepreneurs, CEOs, founders, and industry leaders who are building companies, leading teams, and creating impact in their industries.
Each episode gives viewers a closer look at the real stories behind these women’s success, including the challenges they faced, the decisions that shaped them, and the leadership lessons they learned along the way. The series highlights women who have built businesses, broken barriers, grown brands, and created opportunities for others through their work.
Women In Power was created to spotlight female business leaders whose stories deserve to be seen and heard. From early setbacks to major breakthroughs, each episode shows the journey behind the title, the business, and the public success.
For viewers, the show offers inspiration, practical insight, and a deeper look at what it takes for women to lead, grow, and succeed in today’s business world. For featured guests, it provides a platform to share their story, build authority, and inspire the next generation of female entrepreneurs and leaders.
