Mitch Perry
The daughter of Israeli citizens, Erica Chanti grew up in the Miami-Dade village of Pinecrest, where she says her parents always encouraged her to volunteer with community organization.
“When I was a teenager, my mom would secretly sign me up for volunteer opportunities and announce them in front of a large group of people so that I could not say no,” she jokes. “Eventually, I sought opportunities on my own and developed a passion for helping those who couldn’t help themselves. My parents also taught me that knowledge is power so every family dinner involved some sort of political discussion. “
After graduating from FSU with a degree in political science in 2011, Erica received her first opportunity in politics by bird-dogging Miami political consultant Bob Levy to get a meeting. Once that happened, she was quickly hired with Robert Levy & Associates, where she worked on about a dozen judicial campaigns, as well as Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle’s 2012 re-election race.
Since December 2014, she’s worked under Joe Rasco at the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation.
Chanti gives tribute to Phillis Oeters, corporate vice president of government and community relations at Baptist Health South Florida, and state Sen. Anitere Flores. “They are both generous women who continue to break the glass ceiling, radiate positivity and are extremely accomplished,” she says, adding that working in Senator Flores office “has been an indescribable experience. “
Erica’s friends tell her if she were to give up politics, hosting a talk show could be in her future. She says she loves working with young people and could fathom becoming a “great civics teacher.”
You can connect with her on social media: @dadedelegation, @echanti and on LinkedIn.
