Tobe, Erica Ph.D.

Dr. Erica Tobe is an Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor. Dr. Tobe's research interests focus on family financial health and wellbeing across the lifespan, including research focused on family finance and housing/foreclosure prevention, family un- and underemployment, family resilience, and family policy. 



Dr. Tobe's dissertation, completed in May 2014, focused on " The Financial Health and Level of Resilience in Housing Counseling Clientele Post Experience: A Mixed Methods Assessment." The quantitative component of the study highlighted the demographic and economic characteristics of past housing counseling clientele to assess their relationship with reason for entry into service. The analysis used a series of independent t-tests and regression analysis. The qualitative component incorporated Seidman’s (2013) three-stage interview protocol to conduct a series of three semi-structured in-depth interviews with study participants recruited from the quantitative data set to understand the experience of families after receiving housing counseling services. Collectively, this research provides insight into the protective factors and resilience of families post experience.



Dr. Tobe's current HDFS department responsibilities include:

• Chair and Member of the HDFS Undergraduate Education Committee
• Chair and Planning Team Member for the MSU Financial Resource Fair for Money Smart Week 2016 (www.moneysmartweek.org)
• Teaching responsibilities include: HDFS 238 - Personal Finance (Fall and Spring semesters). Dr. Tobe has been involved in teaching this course since the Fall of 2011.

Prior to this position, Dr. Tobe served as an Educator and Program Leader for financial education with Michigan State University Extension for 12 years. She is the past national youth financial education liaison to the credit union movement on behalf of USDA Cooperative Extension. She is a current member of the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Educators (AFCPE) and the point of contact for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for USDA Cooperative Extension. Dr. Tobe is also an active member of the eXtension Community of Practice for Financial Security for All.