Erin Whelan
She/Her
Executive Director
Erin Whelan (she/her) is a creative and innovative strategist with nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, cultivating teams, program development and oversight, and community collaboration. She comes to SMYAL from LifeWorks, an organization that provides housing and services to thousands of youth each year based in Austin, Texas. She most recently served as the director of their $11.5 million Housing and Homeless Services program. Erin’s experience working in the Homeless Response System in Austin, as well as the National Movement to End Youth Homelessness provides her with a unique skill set for convening stakeholders, influencing leaders, and working with various partners to develop opportunities for impactful results.
Erin shows up in relationship to the work through her life experiences as a Taurus, licensed therapist, queer woman, mother and friend who loves red wine, to laugh until her sides hurt, travel, and time spent with chosen family.
