Althea Erickson

Althea Erickson

Former Head of advocacy and impact, Etsy, Benefits21

Leadership Group, Benefits 21

Althea Erickson is the head advocacy and impact at Etsy, the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. Althea leads Etsy’s efforts to advance public policies that make it easier for Etsy sellers to start and grow their creative businesses. She is responsible for developing and advancing Etsy’s position on portable benefits and economic security for the self-employed, tax and regulatory simplification, content moderation, net neutrality, and global trade, among others. Althea also guides the execution of Etsy’s broader impact strategy, including delivering on its economic, social, and environmental impact commitments and its internal and external accountability strategy.

Prior to joining Etsy, Althea was the advocacy and policy director at Freelancers Union, where she led its successful campaign to repeal unfair tax laws, promoted legislation to protect freelancers from unpaid wages, and advocated for member-driven health insurance. Previously, Althea worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she focused on strategies to build economic security within the US workforce. She has a B.A in government and public policy from Wesleyan University.