Mr. Erickson, 49, was born in Bakersfield and lived here until eighth grade, when he moved with his parents to Nairobi, Kenya, where he spent his high school years.
“That experience shaped my life tremendously,” Mr. Erickson said. He recalls seeing big game animals 20 minutes from the family’s home in a city of 4 million and being able to watch Olympic trials that included some of the greatest runners in the world. “My perspective changed and the world became so much bigger to me,” Mr. Erickson said.
Mr. Erickson graduated from Azusa Pacific University and began teaching in 1998. He has taught in the Rosedale and Panama Buena Vista school districts, as well as for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. He and his wife, Paula, have two daughters who graduated from Liberty: Emma in 2019 and Brooke in 2021.
The new athletic director has been active in sports as an athlete and coach. “I played multiple sports in high school and throughout my growing up years,” he said. “I have coached basketball, volleyball, and soccer and have been a parent volunteer with numerous other sports. I have especially enjoyed being a part of helping with the Rio Bravo Greeley swim team for the last 15 years.”
Mr. Erickson said he expects to continue to “have a high standard and foster athletic success with all our teams,” adding that he has a deep appreciation for coaches and staff, as well as a first-hand understanding of what the parents of athletes experience.
“It is my hope that as a program we continue to be the best we can be,” he said. “Tim Davis has been a wonderful example of what it means to invest in athletes, coaches, and the community. I have so much respect for what he has done over the last 20 years. It’s my goal to continue where he left off.”