Erin Hafkenschiel is the President of ThinkTennessee, where she leads a powerhouse team working to build a state where all Tennesseans are civically engaged and economically secure.
Erin has spent her career in public policy, including roles in higher education, municipal government, and philanthropy. Most recently, she was the Executive Director for Mobility and Transportation at Vanderbilt University. Prior to that, she served as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Sustainability for Nashville Mayors David Briley and Megan Barry. Erin also has significant experience in philanthropy and consulting through her work with CEA Consulting, the Bay Area Council, and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.
A U.S. Fulbright Scholar to China, Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy of Industrialized Societies from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Public Policy and Urban Planning from Harvard University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Infrastructure Systems at Vanderbilt University.
Erin lives with her husband and three daughters in Nashville, TN.