Deliberative Fellowship Coordinator

Erin Oeth is a community practitioner and consultant equipping communities with the tools they need to navigate conflict, address important issues, and bridge divides with others through democratic processes and skill building. She facilitates skill workshops and guides communities through naming & framing issues, concern gathering, and deliberative facilitation to get communities unstuck and moving forward together.

Throughout her career, she has served on national teams framing public issues, including NIFI guide Land of Plenty, and faith-based issue guides End of Life and The Role of the Church in a Divided Society. She has also served as the lead writer for a NASPA project team charged with developing a series of issue guides on Free Speech & the Inclusive Campus, The Future of Fraternity & Sorority Life, and Addressing Systemic Racism as resources for college campuses engaging in public deliberation. She has hosted moderator trainings, published articles, and presented nationally on deliberative work and has particular interest in community leadership development and engaging faith communities.

Building her expertise at the intersection of the community and university, she has previously led community engagement efforts at the University of Mississippi, Baylor University and Columbia College (SC), bringing a strong background in program administration, assessment, and teaching to the civic sphere. She holds a B.A. degree in Religion/ Philosophy from Presbyterian College and a M.Ed. degree in Higher Education & Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina.

Before stepping into the role of Fellows Coordinator, Erin served on the NIFI board. In taking on this new role, she seeks to support and fund the development of new issue guides and to build community expertise in naming & framing issues.

Erin and her husband Steven live in upstate South Carolina.

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