Press & Media Kit → | Contact →

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

She works with parks, museums, heritage sites, and mission-driven organizations across the country, offering professional training, keynote programs, and community experiences that strengthen meaningful connections between people and place.

For almost 20 years, Erica has trained interpreters, educators, and resource specialists—including staff at over 45 National Park Service sites nationwide—supporting them in designing and delivering programs that are clear, engaging, and grounded in meaning. She has led multi-week training programs for the National Association for Interpretation and has published widely in professional journals, including Legacy. Her 2025 article, “The Interpreter’s Technique Compass,” reflects the core of her approach and has positioned her as a leading voice in contemporary interpretation.

A TEDx speaker, Erica has delivered keynote presentations at multiple Governor’s Conferences on Tourism and at conferences and gatherings ranging from the New Mexico Council on Aging to the American Horticultural Society. Across settings, her work is known for being both rigorous and renewing—building professional skill while reconnecting people with purpose and their own sense of presence.

Her background spans natural history, conservation, writing, and the performing arts. Before becoming a professional interpretive trainer and mentor, Erica is an award-winning singer-songwriter who has performed across North America since 1992. She has been featured on All Things Considered and Voice of America, with her music charting in the top ten on Billboard’s Gavin Americana Chart and appearing in publications from Yankee Magazine to The Washington Post.

Her album Good Summer Rain—created in partnership with the Trust for Public Land—received the National Association for Interpretation’s Media Award for Best Interpretive Music in 2008. This project showcased her work bridging conservation and the arts.

In addition to her professional work with organizations, Erica offers writing courses, seasonal retreats, and 1:1 mentoring for individuals exploring their own stories of connection to place.

She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College, where she studied natural science, arts and humanities, and social science.

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

Press & Media Kit → | Contact →.