As the mayor of San Luis Obispo, Erica A. Stewart’s weekday mornings often begin with attending meetings, working on PowerPoints, practicing speeches and preparing for upcoming city council meetings. Then, in the midst of her mayoral duties, Stewart heads to the Cal Poly campus – checking emails and making calls as she walks to the second floor of Orfalea College of Business to greet the students enrolled in her organizational business class.

In one lecture, Stewart, dressed in a colorful, professional blouse with a smile on her face, opens the conversation with an attendance question: 

What’s your favorite song?

The two-hour lecture on a Thursday afternoon covers learning and decision making: Why do some employees learn to make decisions better than others? She speaks about the integrative model of organizational behavior, branching into intellectual capital, explaining the wealth of knowledge each employee has and how to pass it on to others. Throughout the class, she emphasizes why each individual person matters to a bigger picture of a business or organization.

With a master’s in public administration and 20 years in human resources and operations experience, Stewart, who has served on the San Luis Obispo City Council since 2018, is no stranger to internal functioning behind businesses and organizations. 

“When I think about businesses or organizations and why they're having challenges, usually it's because of people,” Stewart said. “Not because people are bad, but because there's a communication that's missing or something that could be operationalized and made more into a system that people can get through.”

Since spring quarter of 2025, Stewart has been lecturing for Orfalea College of Business, teaching both undergraduate and graduate sections of organizational business, following her introduction as a lecturer for the College of Liberal Arts at the start of 2023.

A half-circle of seats surrounds Stewart as she writes on the board, continuously moving and never glued to the podium resting at the head of the room. The course content relies on more than a textbook, with student exploration, personal anecdotes and case studies. 

As she calls up teams of students to present their learning to the 28-person class, the intimate setting allows them to have a low-pressure environment to engage with their peers and their learning. During presentations, Stewart asks questions and prompts further discussion, applauding their work as the groups return to their seats. 

The course provides real-world application of organization business learning by encouraging the students to get involved in the community and speak to and provide insight for local business owners.

During her career, Stewart has owned a bakery and served as a human resources specialist in manufacturing, health care and the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. She also served as chief operating officer at United Way. When Heidi Harmon stepped down as mayor of San Luis Obispo, Stewart was appointed to replace her in 2021 and won election for the seat the following year. 

Whether it’s owning a restaurant, serving as a  student club president or being the mayor of San Luis Obispo, leaders and business owners must understand the people in their organization and how communication between them shapes the outcomes, she said. 

This is why the teaching in Stewart’s course goes both ways. The opportunity to better connect personally with students has improved her understanding of the student population for her role as the mayor. 

“I get complaints about students partying, making noise, and gathering in the streets and blocking people’s driveways and doing weird things in people's front yards that are citable,” Stewart said. “It's not always shouted from the rooftops all the amazing things the students do.”

Stewart graduated from Cal Poly in 1997 with a degree in home economics, a since-discontinued major. She experienced first-hand what it is like to be a student in San Luis Obispo, navigating a new city and establishing future goals.

Through lecturing, she has had the ability to see a new generation of students go through the same process.

As an incoming freshman at Cal Poly from Santa Rosa, California, Stewart's plan was to study food science, go to culinary school and open a restaurant. After joining the housing council during her first year, she experienced how leadership could help her nourish the community in a different way.

“I get complaints about students partying, making noise, and gathering in the streets and blocking people’s driveways and doing weird things in people's front yards that are citable. It's not always shouted from the rooftops all the amazing things the students do.”

       Erica A. Stewart, Mayor of San Luis Obispo and Orfalea College of Business Lecturer

“I liked the people aspect, but I didn't really think of myself as a leader, per se,” she said. “I was just someone who wanted to say, ‘How do I help you to get what you're trying to do?’” 

From guiding incoming students as a Week of Welcome orientation leader to becoming the 1995 ASI president, Stewart found a passion she has carried on since. 

“I got on a committee for the whole university where you were helping pick out the furniture for the rec center and the equipment,” Stewart said. “And all of a sudden I started seeing like, oh wait, as a student, I could have involvement in all these things.” 

As a self-described “people-person,” she has always strived to help those around her thrive. 

The various sectors in which she has experience come together as she progresses in her mayoral goals, including her goal to increase affordable housing and support diversity, equity and inclusion in local businesses and nonprofits, approving the city’s first ever DEI Strategic Plan in February of 2024.

As mayor, she leads the 5-member city council, which sets policies, approves programs and contracts and adopts the city budget. The current budget, just under $220 million, includes allocations for recreational facilities, economic development, transportation, public safety and efforts to combat homelessness. 

“I really believe her real-world knowledge and anecdotes have served really well to memorable lessons,” management and human resources junior Wilson Wong said.  “Dropping funny interactions creates a lighthearted nature to the class but also the more serious issues that just wouldn't hit as hard if it were out of a textbook.”

The proof of her knowledge is clear for students, as her experience provides insight and examples.

“I sure do love sharing with others that I have the honor of having the mayor as my professor,” MBA student Danielle Gaeta said. “Many react with awe and intrigue at this unique opportunity. It adds to the credibility of our MBA education to be engaging with and learning from a government leader firsthand.”

In her fleeting moments of spare time, Stewart’s lifelong love for food and culinary comes to the forefront as she frequently dines at local restaurants and cafés in San Luis Obispo. 

As the mayor, being involved in her community means more than just policy – it means making everyone feel like San Luis Obispo is a place they can call home. 

The lesson she strives to teach in the classroom reflects the ambitions she embodies in her day to day, as she builds firsthand relationships with the community in which she governs. 

“I hope that they understand the operations and why no matter what position you're in, you kind of have to care about the entire business,” Stewart said. “You have to care about the people that are inside.”

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