Erika Beltran is an educator committed to improving public education in Texas. She was born and raised in District 13 on the north side of Fort Worth and is a proud graduate of North Side High School. A former educator, Erika also attended the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and received a Master of Public Affairs in 2006. Erika spent a year in the San Francisco Bay Area working for a large private family foundation and focused on efforts to help close school readiness gaps. She later moved on to Washington D.C. where she spent five years working for a national civil rights organization tracking federal education policy and advocating for the needs of low-income children and families. Currently, Erika works for Teaching Trust where she directs a leadership development program for teachers. Erika was elected to the State Board of Education representing District 13 in November 2014.