Erica Perez: A Wolverine at Heart, an NSA Supporter for Life

If you've been to one of our Annual Conferences in the past two decades, there's a good chance you’ve crossed paths with Erica Perez, or at least seen her helping things run smoothly behind the scenes with her signature calm.

Erica first got involved with the NSA in 2002, back when our office was in Anaheim. “I was hired to help answer phones,” she says, “and helped at the Nashville conference. After that I came back to the Conference almost every year.”

And she's been coming back nearly every year since. Erica doesn’t stutter, but the community she found here is what keeps her showing up. “As someone who doesn't stutter, I have come to love many of these people and I will always consider them family.”

The NSA hasn’t just changed how Erica spends her Fourth of July week, it’s also changed how she listens.

“I have never been a person who has a lot of patience, but I have learned to step back, listen and really hear what someone is saying, both literally and figuratively.”

Family is a big part of Erica’s world. Her parents, Jim and Lee, have worked the NSA store for years, and her husband Aaron and kids, Lily and AJ, have grown up as part of the conference crew. It’s a family affair in the truest sense.

Erica’s advice for newcomers? Get involved.

“There is truly a group for everyone, whether it is your local Chapter or our amazing groups online. You never have to say anything but listen. You will eventually be the person leading a group or a workshop.”

She may not karaoke, but she’s always game for peanut butter and chocolate ice cream and dreams of someday visiting Tahiti or Maui.

From answering phones in Anaheim to helping build a movement, Erica’s story reminds us that stuttering touches more than just the person who stutters, it brings people together. And sometimes, it brings you family.