Erika Bustamante

Erika Bustamante

Erika Bustamante is Assistant Vice President of State Government Affairs at Stanford University where she oversees the activities and relationships with state governmental bodies related to regulatory and legislative issues impacting Stanford’s mission and operations.

Previous to joining Stanford, Dr. Bustamante worked as a legislative aid and legislative director for Assembly Member Luis Alejo in the California Legislature. She was a 2012 California Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and spent her fellowship year in the State Legislature focused on issues related to education, social justice, immigration, health, local government and environmental issues. She currently serves in the CCST Science Fellows Selection Committee.

Dr. Bustamante earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from Stanford University and a BS in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology from UCLA. During her graduate school years at Stanford, she was the first Co-President of the Biomedical Association for the Interest of Minority Students (BioAIMS). She helped establish the organization for the purpose of creating a supportive network for minority graduate students in the biosciences. She also serves as a board member for the Latino Leadership Alliance, a non-profit with the mission of empowering and expanding the voice of Latino leadership and representation in the Bay Area. Erika was born in Venezuela, grew up in Colombia and moved to the U.S. after finishing high school.