Erin Yingst, MBA she/her/hers

Erin's background includes a variety of local and regional government roles, specifically in the fields of education, public health, and emergency preparedness and response. She has 18 years of experience in federal grants lifecycle administration, primarily in post-award management, overseeing CDC bioterrorism and pandemic preparedness grants, and DHS/FEMA homeland security and emergency management program grants. Her company, Aurora Communications, LLC, provides professional consulting services including internal and external communications support, grant writing and administration, strategic planning, and crisis communications.

Erin provides grant research and strategy support for under-represented groups, finding and securing funding to build programming and expand outreach efforts. In addition, she has federal grant-writing expertise in fields such as health and medicine, juvenile justice, and housing/homelessness. She is also proficient in finding funding opportunities for more non-traditional nonprofits, like high finance. Finally, through training and coaching, she helps nonprofits identify and pursue relevant funding opportunities through a strategic lens to maximize effectiveness.

Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations/journalism from Western Michigan University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Central Michigan University. She also earned the designation of Professional Emergency Manager from the State of Michigan. She has served on numerous boards and coalitions including the United Way of Southwest Michigan, the Michigan School Public Relations Association, the 5th District Medical Response Coalition (Vice Chair), the 5th District Homeland Security Planning Board (Secretary), and the Michigan Emergency Management Association, where she currently serves as Treasurer.

A mother of two, Erin lives in Southwest Michigan and enjoys daily yoga, hikes with her German Shepard Sadie, and live music.

My favorite thing about this work: is painting a transformative visual story with words that display the passion and enthusiasm of the programs and events she helps support.