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Erica Wheeler is the founder of Sense of Place Consulting and the creator of the Sense of Place Story Framework—a place-centered approach that helps people find and share stories of connection that lead to caring and action.

She works with parks, museums, heritage sites, and mission-driven organizations nationwide, offering training, keynotes, and community programs that strengthen meaningful connections between people and place.

For nearly two decades, Erica has trained interpreters, educators, and resource specialists—including staff at more than 45 National Park Service sites—helping them design programs that are clear, engaging, and grounded in meaning.

She has led multi-week training programs for the National Association for Interpretation and published in professional journals, including Legacy. Her 2025 article, The Interpreter’s Technique Compass, reflects the core of her approach.

A TEDx speaker, Erica has delivered keynotes at multiple Governor’s Conferences on Tourism and at conferences ranging from the New Mexico Council on Aging to the American Horticultural Society.

Before becoming an interpretive trainer and writing mentor, Erica was known as an award-winning touring singer-songwriter. She has performed across North America since 1992 and has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and the Voice of America. Her music has charted in the top ten on Billboard’s Gavin Americana Chart and appeared in publications including Yankee Magazine and The Washington Post.

Her album Good Summer Rain, created in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, received NAI’s 2008 Media Award for Best Interpretive Music, solidifying her approach bridging conservation and the arts.

Erica holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College, where she studied natural science, arts and humanities, and social science and focused on the personal and societal value of a sense of place.

Today she lives in the hills of western Massachusetts in a 125-year-old house beside a rushing stream, surrounded by forests, dairy and maple sugar farms.