Erika Carranza Benavides

Family and Community Engagement Liaison at Santa Ana Unified School District

Santa Ana, California, United States

About

Experienced Family & Community Engagement Liaison and Community Development Professional with a proven record in public relations/community relations. Skilled in Program Development, Program Implementation & Management, and Non-Profit work. My passion is Community Engagement & Development through an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach - discovering individual & community assets and utilizing those assets (human/community capital) to reach their individual/community goals.

Experience

  • Family and Community Engagement Liaison at Santa Ana Unified School District
    Dec 2019 - Present · 6 yrs 7 mos

    - Create, design, and facilitate bilingual (English/Spanish) family workshops on grade-level academic expectations, SEL, social media and screen-time impacts, early childhood development, and parent advocacy. - Create and lead Grade Level Expectations Workshops, empowering families with clear academic benchmarks and practical strategies to support learning at home. - Apply an asset-based, relationship-centered approach to strengthen parent confidence, trust, and engagement. - Serve as a liaison between families, school sites, and district departments to improve communication and access to resources. - Provide family support and case management related to attendance, academics, and social-emotional needs. - Collect and analyze pre- and post-workshop data to measure impact and inform continuous improvement. - Contribute to the development of scalable family engagement practices aligned with district equity and student success goals.

  • Assistant To The Executive Director at Olive Crest - Strong Families, Safe Kids
    Aug 2019 - Dec 2019 · 5 mos

    Provided administrative support, such as writing and editing emails, drafting memos and preparing communications on the executive's behalf

  • Dept. Operations Director & Community Liaison at NEWSONG
    Aug 2017 - Jul 2019 · 2 yrs

    • Built and enhanced productive and valuable community partnerships to drive collaboration and engagement for community development. • Connected with local organizations to provide resources to families in the community. • Held community meetings, organized residents, and facilitated Asset Based Community Development workshops. • Organized, led, and mobilized churches, businesses, community, and the City of Santa Ana on collaborative city-wide efforts for community beautification and revitalization (Love Santa Ana Initiative). • Oversaw daily administrative operations, including document management, scheduling, and weekly communication with staff and volunteers. • Oversaw weekly community enrichment classes and workshops (MIX Academy) serving over 300 local Willard neighborhood residents. • Recruited, trained, and led over 70 volunteers. • Created intake process, registration forms, and managed database of volunteers and program participants. • Developed volunteer program, handbook, policies and procedures.

  • Community Outreach Director at Templo Calvario Church
    Dec 2010 - Aug 2017 · 6 yrs 9 mos

    • Worked closely with organizational/church leadership, including board of directors, to strategically guide the direction of organization. • Developed and implemented priorities with goal of mobilizing volunteers to engage/serve locally and globally. • Oversaw, organized and mobilized volunteers for international mission trips and for local community engagement. • Organized, led, and mobilized churches, businesses, community, and the City of Santa Ana on collaborative city-wide efforts for community revitalization (Love Santa Ana Initiative). • Oversaw and led strategy meetings on community development/transformation. • Meet with Santa Ana Neighborhood Associations to strengthen their resident involvement • Created promotional materials and provided insightful information to social media, websites and print media to educate the public. • Promoted the mission of the group to the public with successful community outreach and marketing strategies.