Erica Colston
Erica joined TIP in October 2023 after two years supporting economic development programs and partnerships in the Austin region and in other Texas metros. She brings expertise in talent development, higher and public education policy, small business and defense innovation funding, and advocacy. Prior to joining the firm, she coordinated education and talent programs at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce through Opportunity Austin, an initiative aimed at fostering job-creating investment across the region. At Opportunity Austin, Erica facilitated collaborations among business, education, and workforce partners focused on increasing labor force participation in high-demand, high-wage careers. Raising regional postsecondary attainment levels through college access support initiatives was a central part of this work. She also previously coordinated defense innovation partnerships at Capital Factory, an Austin-based venture capital firm and incubator. In this role, Erica supported government partnerships with military and defense clients investing non-dilutive capital in emergent technologies with national security applications. Her background includes public policy and national security research, including open-source intelligence research with the Institute for the Study of War. Erica is Ukrainian-American, and she holds Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Global Studies and in History from the University of Texas at Austin.
