President & CEO
Erica A. Arias, President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, brings more than 20 years of experience spanning nonprofit executive leadership, public-sector engagement, higher education, workforce development, consulting, and cross-sector collaboration. Arias will begin serving as President and CEO effective October 12, 2026.
Prior to joining SGVEP, Arias served for more than five years as Executive Director of the Los Angeles Police Museum, where she led organizational strategy, operations, financial management, fundraising, board relations, and external engagement. During her tenure, she strengthened institutional and community partnerships, expanded the organization’s reach, and elevated its impact across the communities it served.
Throughout her career, Arias has worked extensively with elected officials, chiefs of police, members and offices of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council, public agencies, community organizations, and business leaders. Through these relationships, she has communicated institutional and community value, developed opportunities for investment and partnership, and connected nonprofit impact with broader regional priorities.
Her entrepreneurial experience includes founding and holding leadership roles within consulting and management firms, where she advised small businesses and organizations on leadership, strategy, organizational development, and sustainable growth.
Arias’s work in higher education includes leadership and workforce development instruction through Mt. San Antonio College’s Workforce Training Center, as well as serving as a small-business subject-matter expert with the USC Office of Civic Engagement. Her teaching has included business communication, negotiation, tactical leadership, and strategic planning.
She has been selected for membership in the Forbes Nonprofit Council and recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the region’s Most Influential Nonprofit Leaders. Arias holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education from the University of La Verne, as well as an Executive Master of Leadership from the University of Southern California.
As President and CEO, Arias brings a collaborative, relationship-driven approach to advancing SGVEP’s mission. With deep personal and professional ties to the 626, she is committed to expanding economic opportunity, elevating the region’s collective voice, and strengthening connections among the people and institutions invested in the San Gabriel Valley’s future.