EP 78 - Meet Erika Swilley, Vice President, Community & Social Responsibility at Detroit Pistons

I Choose the Ladder

In this episode you meet Erika Swilley. Erika is the Vice President of Community and Social Responsibility for the Detroit Pistons. Previously she spent time in community relations for the Chicago Sky and Sky Cares Foundation and Golden State Warriors. In her role, Swilley coordinates the philanthropic initiatives of the Pistons and their players. She also organizes events as part of numerous league wide initiatives as part of NBA Cares, as well as, has an instrumental role with player development and works closely with team sponsors and the players’ personal foundations. Swilley was named 2007 and 2008 Palace Sports & Entertainment Community Relations Employee of the Year and has received three World Championship rings as part of overseeing community relations efforts for the WNBA Detroit Shock and Golden State Warriors. In 2009 Swilley was selected as a “Woman of Excellence” by the Michigan Chronicle, in 2010 was recognized in “Who’s Who” in Black Detroit and in 2018 was named one of Detroit’s 40 Under 40. Swilley received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a major in communication, marketing and sociology. Some of the things that we discussed that stood out to me were: - Navigating Office Politics - Compromising Your Values - Speaking up about social justice issues - Pivoting into sports - Getting Unstuck Enjoy!