Erika Bare

Erika has been a proud educator for over twenty years in a variety of roles, schools and districts. She began her career as a special education teacher supporting students pre-k through the age of 21, and this population of students is still very much where her heart lives. As an administrator Erika has had the joy of being an elementary principal, high school assistant principal and then principal, director of student services, and assistant superintendent. She currently serves as the superintendent of the South Umpqua School District in Oregon. Erika is the co-author of Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students and has developed and led workshops and professional development activities addressing a multitude of topics in education, communication, and leadership. She was awarded the COSA Central Office Administrators Achievement of Excellence Award in 2024.