Erica Anderson Rooney

One night, in a room full of powerful, deeply technical women, a simple prompt changed everything. Individually, everyone input the prompt into their Large Language Model of choice: “Based on what you know about me… generate an image of what you think I look like.” The pictures flooded in, and not one of them looked like us. That moment wasn’t a glitch. The system was working exactly as designed. Because the systems we rely on every day have never been neutral. For decades, decisions across medicine, technology, finance, and leadership have been shaped around a narrow baseline of what is considered credible, capable, and worth building for. Artificial intelligence doesn’t know who’s capable. It just knows what’s common. And those patterns? AI learns from them. And then it scales them. In The AI Gap, Erica Rooney takes you inside the systems already shaping how work is evaluated, how leaders are recognized, and how opportunity is distributed. Drawing on real-world examples across industries, she reveals how past decisions become data, and how that data begins to define what happens next. This book will change how you see the system. How you move inside it. And how you influence what it becomes. Because this moment isn’t theoretical. It’s already in motion. And this is where the next great leap forward begins.

HER Collective is a private, AI-powered leadership community designed to help ambitious corporate women step into positions of power, and stay there. This is where executive coaching meets real-time application. Inside HER Collective, women don't just learn leadership, they practice it, refine it, and expand it using AI as a force multiplier. From weekly group coaching to monthly masterclasses and custom-built AI tools, every element is designed to accelerate clarity, confidence, and career momentum. We focus on what actually moves the needle: decision-making, visibility, influence, and strategic thinking. And the differentiator: real, ongoing AI fluency for executive women. Not surface-level "try ChatGPT" content. We have integrated training on prompt frameworks, custom GPT builds, AI Boards of Directors, and how to use AI to evaluate offers, negotiate your worth, and architect the next chapter of your career. AI isn't a trend here. It's a core leadership skill that helps women operate faster, think bigger, and lead more effectively in modern organizations. HER Collective closes the gap between knowing and doing. Between potential and power. This is where ambition meets opportunity and where women build careers that compound. You can sit with us.

Women Applying AI (WAAI) is a global community advancing how women understand, adopt, and lead with artificial intelligence in real-world work. As the North Carolina State Lead, I’m building a high-impact network of women who are not just learning AI, but applying it to drive smarter decisions, increase efficiency, and expand their influence inside their organizations. This is about closing the gap between access and action. WAAI sits at the intersection of technology and leadership. We translate AI from something abstract into something practical, usable, and powerful. Through live events, peer connection, and hands-on learning, we equip women to move from curiosity to confidence to capability.

Women Executives Circle (WEC), phonetically "We-See," is a peer-powered community built by women, for women — for senior executive leaders seeking trusted relationships and authentic connections. As Strategic Advisor and one of the founding members, I help shape WEC's vision and growth as it brings C-suite and executive women together through state and metro-based circles, plus a national group, combining deep local connection with expansive national reach. Where women truly see, support, and uplift one another.

Marble Collective is a centralized, AI-powered platform amplifying women leaders' stories, preserving their legacies, and activating the power of their networks — built on the belief that to be it, you have to see it. As one of the founding members, I help shape Marble as it evolves into a full ecosystem for women shaping the future of leadership, innovation, and culture, including intelligent media libraries, modern digital salons, and next-generation tools that make women's achievements permanently visible and inspire the next generation.

Era Advisors is the umbrella for my work as a keynote speaker, two-time author, podcast host, executive coach, and AI educator helping ambitious women and forward-thinking organizations lead the next era of work. I spent 15+ years as a Chief People Officer in the C-suite — making the calls that decide who gets promoted, who gets paid, and who gets a seat at the table. I built Era Advisors to take what I learned inside those rooms and put it in the hands of the women and leaders building what comes next. Keynote Speaking High-energy, high-substance keynotes on AI for women in leadership, closing the AI gap, executive presence, and building cultures where women rise. I've spoken for CHIEF, WICT, Grifols, Kymanox, CBS, Women in Tech ERGs, and audiences ranging from C-suite leadership teams to thousand-person conferences. Watch the speaker reel pinned to my profile. Books: Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors (out now, endorsed by Mel Robbins) — the playbook for breaking through the barriers, internal and external, that hold ambitious women back. The AI Gap (available for pre-order) — how women can close the AI fluency gap and turn it into the biggest career advantage of the next decade. Podcasts Host of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, a weekly show featuring executive women, founders, and operators having the real conversations leadership culture skips. Co-host of AI: Voice or Victim with Walk West, on whether AI gives you a voice in your industry — or makes you a victim of it. Executive Coaching & AI Training 1:1 coaching for senior women navigating promotions, transitions, and the path to the C-suite. Customized AI training programs that move executive teams from AI-curious to AI-fluent, using prompt frameworks, custom GPT builds, and the AI Board of Directors methodology. To book a keynote, request AI training for your team, or explore working together visit ericaandersonrooney.com.

Chief is a private network designed for the most powerful women in executive leadership to strengthen their leadership, magnify their influence, and pave the way to bring others with them.

Blue Acorn iCi is the leading digital customer experience company pioneering what’s possible through the convergence of analytics, digital commerce, customer experience, and experience-driven commerce offerings. HR C-Level Executive responsible for the people strategy, employee experience, and employee lifecycle across the globe. Strategic thought leader and partner with Infosys Limited, the parent company of Blue Acorn iCi, leader for the merger & acquisition process.

HR Executive responsible for managing the strategy and processes related to building and retaining an exceptional team of professionals across all operating locations of BlueAcorn iCi. Committed to providing our team members with an empowering employee experience, where they can be innovative, influential, and creative.

bioMérieux is a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over 55 years and provides diagnostic solutions (systems, reagents, software, services) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Responsible for developing and executing strategic initiatives, programs, and campaigns related to the employee experience throughout the employee's life cycle to ensure that bioMerieux has a successful, professional and engaged workforce capable of fulfilling its mission. •Set and deploy the strategy on engagement initiatives, programs, and campaigns related to the employee experience throughout the employee lifecycle to ensure a successful, professional, and engaged workforce capable of fulfilling the mission of bioMérieux •Partners effectively with leaders, managers, and employees across the business/region and provide leadership to drive the successful implementation of bioMérieux’s people and culture strategy •Builds employee advocacy by encouraging active dialogue across the company, leading to greater innovation, diversity and inclusion around bioMérieux’s brand, vision, values and culture. •US Project Manager for the Global Digital Transformation- Employee Portal- to deliver a seamless experience for customers and employees that enhances our ability to deliver on our public health mission.

•Responsible for administering human resource policies, programs, and practices, which include planning, organizing, developing, implementing, coordinating, and directing all HR functions. •Plays a key role in leading the development and implementation of projects designed to develop a unified HR across all portfolios. •Manages and resolves complex employee relations issues. Conducts effective, thorough and objective investigations. •Research employee benefits plans and vendors to identify those that present the best value. Design, recommend, and implement benefit programs for an employee population of 5,000. •Examine possible plan designs and benefit cost changes. •Serve as the primary contact for plan vendors and third-party administrators. Evaluate and revise internal processes to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Ensure compliance with government regulations. •Coordinate daily benefit processing. Handle enrollments, COBRA, terminations, changes, beneficiaries, disability, accident and death claims, distributions, loans, and compliance testing. Gather employee data and oversee the processing of monthly billings.