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Tobe, Erica Ph.D.

Name

Erica Tobe, Ph.D.

Position Display

Assistant Professor

Education

  • Ph.D. Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University
  • M.S.W. Clinical Social Work, Michigan State University
  • B.S. Family Resource Management, Michigan State University

Areas of Interest

  • Financial Health and Resilience of families, specifically after the Great Recession
  • Un- and Underemployment and Work and Family Research
  • Family Policy as it relates to family finance

Dr. Erica Tobe is an Extension Specialist (50% FTE) and Assistant Professor (50% FTE) in family economics. Tobe teaches HDFS 238 Personal Finance and HDFS 442 Ethnic Families in America and is the current HDFS undergraduate education chair and chair of Money Smart Week.  

Funded in 2016, Tobe is the Principal Investigator (PI) on a $100,000 Rose Foundation for the Communities and the Environment grant to implement and evaluate financial capability and financial coaching in Kent & Muskegon Counties for MSUE. Also, Tobe is the co-PI on two housing education grants ($32,675 and $27,998) to implement pre-purchase, financial capability, and foreclosure counseling in Wayne, Macomb, and Clare counties, also with MSUE.

Dr. Tobe received a national team Social Networking Award from the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences. She is the current co-chair of the eXtension Financial Security for All Community of Practice and the 2017 President Elect for the Michigan Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences. Prior to this position, Tobe served as an Educator and Program Leader with Michigan State University Extension for 12 years.