Our People

Erin Shields

Senior Program Associate, Public Square

Erin is a Senior Program Associate for the Public Square program at Democracy Fund, an independent foundation working to ensure that our political system can withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. Erin supports the work of the Digital Democracy Initiative, which is committed to building an inclusive and multiracial democracy in the United States where civil and human rights are respected online and grounded in an equitable digital civic infrastructure that is open, just, trustworthy, and resilient. In her role, Erin works to resource organizations and researchers in the fight to hold tech giants accountable for their part in the erosion of our information systems and democratic institutions.

Erin is a former campaigner and activist who has spent the last 5 years organizing at the intersection of race, media, and technology. Prior to Democracy Fund, she was a National Field Organizer with MediaJustice where she led the organization’s internet rights, platform accountability, and racialized disinformation work. She also previously worked as a grassroots organizer with Bread for the City where she crafted and led campaigns to increase investments in deeply affordable housing across Washington, DC. Before that, Erin worked as the Government Affairs Coordinator at the Internet Association, supporting lobbyists in the tech and internet sector.

She earned her BA in political science from Howard University and considers Washington, DC her home.

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