David J. Erickson is Head of Outreach and Education at the New York Fed, where he leads the community development and economic education teams. His research focuses on community development finance, affordable housing, economic development, and institutional change to support low-income communities. He helped spearhead a major collaboration between the Federal Reserve and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, resulting in more than 50 conferences and numerous publications linking health and community development. 

Erickson is the author of The Housing Policy Revolution (2009) and co-editor of several influential volumes, including Investing in What Works for America’s Communities (2012), What Counts (2014), What It’s Worth (2015), and What Matters (2017). His most recent book, The Fifth Freedom (2023), explores expanding opportunity for all children. 

He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College