Mt. Rushmore with Erika Harper, State of Iowa

It’s Mount Rushmore season for ELGL members. We’re asking for your top four list on a variety of topics.

Erika Harper

Communications Specialist for the State of Iowa

Connect: LinkedIn & Twitter

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Issues facing state government (varies from agency to agency)

1. Resistance to new technology and taking risks
2. Aging staff and attracting (and retaining) young professionals
3. Producing easily digestible information (hello, acronyms and overly complicated words)
4. Reaching disengaged audiences

Attractions in Iowa

1. Yellow River State Forest
2. Breweries (Peace Tree, Toppling Goliath, Backpocket, all the others)
3. High Trestle Trail and Bridge
4. Loess Hills

Dinner guests

1. Cheryl Strayed
2. Adele
3. Frank Lloyd Wright
4. Ellen

Career accomplishments

1. Relationships built with residents, community members, city/state staff
2. Growing a social media presence (organically and over a year):
   • 150% on Facebook
   • 185% on Twitter
3. Leading a team and launching two new websites within months of each other
4. Being nominated and selected as the City of North Liberty’s employee of the year (back in my local gov days)

Fall activities 

1. Hiking
2. Watching copious amounts of college football (Go Hawks!)
3. Backyard fire pit gatherings
4. Drinking whiskey