I worked with Becky Erickson At Bainbridge Graduate Institute during a time of major changes in the management structure and staff, cuts in permanent staff, expansion of our program outreach, and the addition of new branch location in Seattle. During this time period, BGI was also in the process of achieving accreditation; a labor intensive effort that required a daunting amount of detailed financial, personnel and student record work, as well as academic and curriculum program work.

There was one person who held BGI together during this turbulent time: Becky Erickson.

In an atmosphere of daily change and uncertainty with highest level management coming and going, personnel moving to new locations or being let go, and short-term crisis intervention, Erickson kept the wheels on the bus! I can’t even begin to describe the multi-tasking and complexity of tasks that she performed and stepped up to take over when other management was in transition. From long-term and day-to-day strategic, budget and financial planning, to strict audits, shifting of workloads, accreditation complexities, human resource services for new and departing staff, creation of complex reports to support the Board of Directors, Erickson did it all and she was often the sole manager in the office that we on the staff could turn to with our own workplace problems.

If you want a strong mayor who can handle whatever you throw at her and handle it in a professional manner with an extensive array of skills and experience, Becky Erickson is the mayor for you. In all that time of transition at BGI, there was one thing I could count on. Erickson at her desk or in meetings, steadily grinding through the piles of complex COO, CFO and HR work, and yet she always made the time to stop and listen when one of us just needed to talk or process our concerns. Additionally, of course, she worked intensely as a Poulsbo councilmember during this time.

She is talented, she listens, she is professional, and she is a compassionate woman. And yes, she is tough and not afraid to openly look at any issue from all sides to find an equitable and successful solution.

Linda Owens

Bainbridge Island