Erik is originally from suburban Philadelphia, PA. Growing up, he spent most of his available free time at his family’s vacation home in the Poconos. Witnessing the social, economic, and environmental transformations in both places gave rise to his interest in outdoor recreation, environmental issues the interconnections between them. Erik graduated Magna Cum Laude from Ithaca College, received an MS from Clemson University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. While at Ithaca, he spent a semester at the Pacific Northwest Branch of the National Outdoor Leadership School.

At different times in his life, Erik has been a ski racing coach, a ski technician, a sales guy (skis and bikes), a field technician for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, and a Recreation Technician at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, USDA Forest Service. He has worked on projects for the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Illinois Natural History Survey. Currently, he is a member of the St. Lawrence County Recreational Trails Advisory Committee and a founding member of the St. Lawrence County Mt. Bike Association.

Erik’s classes focus on outdoor recreation, tourism, public lands and environmental management. His research focuses on applying the theory and methods of social science to understanding and addressing environmental management problems. In June 2011, he received a grant from the Northeastern States Research Cooperative to investigate community well-being and satisfaction in the Adirondack Park. The project seeks to address the larger question of "what effects does the Adirondack Park have on the communities within the Blue Line?"