Kristen began her career as a banker and then as a tax attorney, after earning her J.D. from Gonzaga University and LL.M. in Tax Law from Georgetown University but found her true calling almost 20 years ago when she realized how her legal, tax, and financial expertise could help others make charitable gifts to further their passions and priorities. As the Assistant Vice President of Gift Planning at Duke, Kristen now leads a highly skilled team working with our community of donors who are including philanthropy in their financial, retirement, and estate plans. When not at work, Kristen takes any opportunity to explore new cities and countries with friends and family and is savoring every moment she can before her son leaves for college.

As Associate Director of Gift Planning, Erika helps donors navigate the legal and tax considerations of making charitable gifts to Duke. Before joining Duke’s Gift Planning team, she spent more than 15 years as an in-house entertainment transactional attorney for major Latin American and U.S. Hispanic-focused media companies in Miami, Florida. Erika holds both a J.D. and a master’s degree in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University and earned dual undergraduate degrees from Duke. A Durham native, she is thrilled to be back in the Bull City, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.