Ericka M. Echavarria

Ericka Echavarria, LMSW, JD, currently serves as an Associate Director of Field Education and Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University School of Social Work, and is the Coordinator of the Seminar in Field Instruction for CSSW Field Instructors. Ericka is passionate about preparing future and current social work professionals for a justice-based practice with clients/participants and systems, through: a power, race, oppression, and privilege lens; the use of contemplative practices and inquiry to cultivate self-care and self-awareness practices; a solid foundation in social justice advocacy; and a grounded ethical, professional identity.

Prior to her role at CSSW, Ericka served as a mitigation specialist/sentencing advocate and had her own private practice working closely with defense attorneys of both court appointed and privately retained cases, where she advocated for clients in serious federal and state felony cases, including death penalty eligible cases, through the use of comprehensive psychosocial investigations, narratives, sentencing advocacy, in-depth assessments, storytelling, and case management , in the federal, and several state criminal legal systems. Ericka also spent several years advocating for youth, children, and their families in schools and community-based agencies in Washington Heights and Harlem. Ericka received her Masters in Social Work from Columbia University in 2008 (FYC/AGPP), and her Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School in 2002. Ericka is also a mother, a caregiver, and identifies as Afro-Dominican, born to immigrant parents, and aspires to leave a legacy of love, courage, hope, and compassion for future social workers and above all, her son and nephews.