Hi, friend! I’m Erika Sentz. Welcome to my “about me” page, which originally was super stiff and written in the third person before I said, “Wait, THAT’S NOT ME!”
My journey on the web began at 12, creating websites for pixel ponies to fill the time I couldn’t be in the barn (yes, I was a “horse girl”). Browsing The Geocities Gallery brings back so many memories… and burns my eyeballs. I like to think about 12-year-old Erika and how I’m living out her dreams today–I feel so blessed and fortunate to be doing what I’m doing, professionally and otherwise.
I completed my undergraduate degree at American University in CLEG: Communications, Law, Economics, and Government (yes, I should be working in government…!), and recently completed my MBA at Quantic School of Business and Technology with a focus on corporate-level strategy. During college, I ran the award-winning music blog, Girls Guide to Music, which inspired the name of this site–Girls Guide to CRO.
I’ve had some fantastic roles out of college: I worked as an associate producer and project manager for VIVA Creative, focusing on digital marketing and live events right out of college. My takeaway? Just say yes to every opportunity thrown at you. You’ll learn a LOT and travel the world for the COOLEST clients. After that, I decided to step away from #agencylife and work at Sylvan Learning’s headquarters in Maryland doing MarTech work, which largely revolved around the site itself, Google My Business, and experimentation. Honestly, it was my first time being exposed to CRO as an intentional practice.
For the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of working at WP Engine, the leading WordPress technology company. I have grown SO MUCH and am surrounded by so many talented people. My role has transitioned from mainly conversion rate optimization to spearheading website strategy initiatives within the marketing organization. I’m passionate about the transformative power of WordPress and its positive impact on bloggers, businesses, and everyone in between.
Ultimately, when thinking about my career and my goals, I realized there wasn’t a great resource around “web strategy” and how to progress in my career. That’s part of why I started this blog—to be another voice for women in tech who don’t even realize all there is in the digital marketing world. Remember 12-year-old Erika? My current job wouldn’t have existed even in her wildest dreams.
Outside of my professional pursuits, I’m surrounded by the best people and horses at Ashcombe Sporthorses, LLC. I also have a particular fondness for reading, music, and exploring locales known for extra-dirty (“filthy”) martinis and oysters.
What I’m listening to: