For one Deloitte professional, her true impact means enabling others to give and receive

Her role at Deloitte: Manager, Deloitte Tax LLP, Chicago. Erica’s journey to Deloitte felt straightforward: she graduated from college with multiple job offers, but Deloitte was where she wanted to be. “It’s an organization with a large scale, with the capability to create impact vertically and horizontally,” she says. “I don’t think the opportunities for me here are found elsewhere.” Erica just marked her sixth year at Deloitte, and is also active in Deloitte’s social impact community in Chicago and a coach to junior professionals and is passionate about promoting purpose and social impact initiatives across Deloitte.

Purpose in action: When Erica was in college, she participated in a service organization that worked to provide pro bono consulting services to nonprofit organizations. After she joined Deloitte, she was delighted to find Stepup, a Deloitte skills-based volunteering program, which serves a similar function. “We empower our professionals to apply their skills and experiences to help nonprofits, and that helps the nonprofits to thrive and realize their mission,” she says. Erica joined the board of Deloitte’s national Stepup team in 2021 and felt particularly proud of representing the Tax function. “Now, she’s working to help ensure Deloitte professionals are being recognized for their contributions and their unique perspectives by building recognition programs and leading marquee events. “I always like to say that giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin, and I truly love the full-circle moments,” she says. “With Stepup, our practitioners can have access to hands-on experiences and leadership toolkits to pursue their personal purpose and professional development, and it can further strengthen our Deloitte community.”

Her impact: Erica received the 2024 US Purpose MVP Award, which recognizes professionals who are making an impact that matters and contributing to Deloitte’s collective purpose. “Even though what I do with Stepup is quite different from my day job in Tax, I feel that both experiences have made me a multifaceted professional and leader, and help me get out of my comfort zone,” Erica says. She’s also contributed her time by performing research on how Artificial Intelligence plays a role in a global healthcare landscape with numerous challenges. “I was really attracted to the social issues around healthcare, and I found my research meaningful,” she says. Now, she’s looking to the future and how she can make even more of an impact. “I’m just really excited for the challenges ahead,” she says. “Balancing my schedule can sometimes be challenging, particularly amid the busy seasons in Tax, but I like to focus on my impact.”