Bond is an upcoming conference examining how creators make a living through the internet. On Friday, March 9th, 2018 we will be featuring an eclectic lineup of speakers who all have a unique perspective on what it takes to build community, share your work, and establish your creative practice as a sustainable, independent business.
We’re excited to welcome Erica Baker as a featured speaker at Bond. Throughout her life and career, Erica has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion. She often speaks out via her website and other social outlets such as Twitter where she started the #RealDiversityNumbers movement challenging companies on their efforts to create more diversity in the workplace. The movement shed light on the overall lack of progress while offering potential solutions.
After years working at Google and Slack, Erica is now the Senior Engineering Manager at Patreon. Patreon is a membership platform that provides creators the tools to run a subscription service to fans. It’s an amazing way to discover your true fans, build relationships with your community, and offer exclusive experiences to your followers. It allows creators of all types to receive funding directly from their fans on a recurring basis or per work of art. Patreon has the potential to create a sustainable source of income to creators as they follow their passions.
Before joining Patreon, Erica’s career in tech began fifteen years ago doing domain administration for the University of Alaska Statewide System, before becoming a Googler in 2006. Erica’s role grew and shifted within Google, growing from Support Technician to Site Reliability Engineer. She joined Slack in 2015, where she focused on Build and Release Engineering. She joined Patreon in 2017 where she manages the Infrastructure Engineering team. Erica is on the Board of Directors for Girl Develop It, the advisory boards for Atipica and Hack the Hood, and is a Tech Mentor for Black Girls Code. She is also a Global Advisory Council Member for Barbie.
Erica is a founding member of Project Include which was the 2015 Level Playing Field Institute Lux Award winner. She was a nominee for the 2016 Crunchies Include Diversity Award, and was included in WIRED Magazine’s 2016 NextList. Erica is currently based in Oakland, California.
Be sure to head to the official Bond website for more details and announcements including our lineup of speakers and presenters. Space is limited, so reserve your tickets today!