About ERICA WHEELER
Interpretive Trainer | Keynote Speaker | Sense of Place Advocate

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Erica Wheeler is the founder of Sense of Place Consulting and the creator of the Sense of Place and Story Method—a place-centered approach that helps people uncover connections to place, meaning, and story in ways that inspire belonging, caring, and stewardship.

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

For nearly two decades, Erica has trained interpreters, educators, and resource specialists—including more than 45 National Park Service sites nationwide—helping them design programs that are clear, engaging, and grounded in meaning. She has led a multi-week training for the National Association for Interpretation and published in professional journals, including her 2025 Legacy article, The Interpreter's Technique Compass, which reflects key principles of her Sense of Place approach.

Erica's work is rooted in a simple belief: when people develop meaningful relationships with places, they are more likely to care for them, care for one another, and find a stronger sense of belonging. Through training, speaking, writing, and community engagement, she helps people create the conditions for those connections to emerge.

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

In addition to her work in interpretation, Erica is a keynote speaker and award-winning touring singer-songwriter. She is a TEDx speaker and delivered keynotes in multiple states for their Governor’s Conference on Tourism and at conferences ranging from the New Mexico Council on Aging to the American Horticultural Society.

Erica has also been a featured interview 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—reflecting her long-standing integration of conservation and the arts.

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

She lives in the hills of western Massachusetts with her partner of 25 years, in a 125-year-old house beside a rushing stream, surrounded by forests and working dairy and maple sugar farms.