Erika Allen is the CEO of Urban Growers Collective, the President of Green ERA Educational NFP, and the Co-Owner of Green Era Sustainability Partners. Previously, Allen founded and was the Director of Growing Power’s Chicago and National Programs Office for 16 years from 2002 to 2018. Her work exemplifies a strong commitment to environmental justice and regenerative urban agriculture in Chicago. Allen has dedicated her professional career to public service, developing sustainable community food systems, and forging economic opportunities for low-income individuals.

Allen received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago in December 2022. Other recent awards include the Chicago Council on Science and Technology’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2025); the Climate Action Museum’s Authentic Advocate Climate Action Hero Award (2025); the City of Chicago’s City Council Earth Day Resolution for Environmentalism (2025); the Packer’s Women in Produce Award (2025); and the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for her work “to create economic opportunities for BIPOC urban growers, mitigate food insecurity, and increase access to high quality, nutritious food that is affordable and culturally-affirming.”