Our guest this episode is Borough of Allentown, NJ Councilwoman Erica DeKranes, who is also a Senior Resource Mobilization Officer for Vision Spring, a social enterprise that provides affordable eyeglasses, vision screening and training for people and and organizations all over the world. Erica is also a spin instructor and involved in a bunch of different professional and community organizations…and is one of my closest friends from high school.
After graduation, Erica left gorgeous New Jersey for Scotland and went to University of Saint Andrews. She worked as a student campaigner on the school’s 600th anniversary fundraiser, came back to the dirty Jerz and has since set out on this path that weaves together to hyperlocal and uber international so perfectly, it’s like I made it up.
But I didn’t.
About the Episode
As I’ve said before, Non-State Actress podcast is a chance for me to talk to cool women doing cool things outside of my day to day bubble and keep in touch with the real world while bringing natsec stuff to regular life.
As soon as I started working on this project, I knew I needed to talk to Erica. Her life, her choices, and her priorities are an almost eerily spot on example of how interconnected the world is – and how deeply we know that to be the case. A political independent who serves on the Town Council of what is called the Crossroads of the American Revolution from a supply chain management perspective and is fighting to protect the Bald Eagle at the same time? Yes please.
More About Erica DeKranes
A Map of Central Jersey
Non-State Actress: The Podcast, Episode 2.