Our Founders

Erica Hernandez

CO-FOUNDER

Erica is a first-generation Latina from a Salvadoran family, with over 24 years of experience in technology, public sector systems, and community empowerment. Holding a Bachelor of Science and an MBA, Erica is dedicated to bridging the gap between underserved communities and innovative technology solutions. Her career began in social services, where she worked in eligibility programs like TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid, giving her a deep understanding of the challenges vulnerable populations face and the importance of compassionate, efficient systems.

A seasoned leader in both technology and consulting, Erica transitioned to the IT sector in 2011, joining prominent firms such as Accenture and IBM. Over the years, she has led cross-functional teams in delivering complex IT solutions, managing large-scale projects, and optimizing client engagement strategies. Erica has directed engineering teams and played a pivotal role in shaping sales and delivery processes, helping to strengthen her companies' market presence. Throughout her career, she has consistently leveraged her expertise in client-centric SaaS transformations and government technology strategies to drive impactful, sustainable change.

Currently, at HWS Advisors, Erica uses her extensive experience to guide organizations in optimizing their technology solutions and advancing their public sector initiatives. Her work focuses on empowering women-owned businesses, supporting Latina entrepreneurship, and integrating technology with social good. Passionate about using technology as a force for positive change, Erica is committed to helping clients turn challenges into opportunities while promoting cultural sensitivity, innovation, and empowerment in every solution.

Cari Slocum

CO-FOUNDER

It is fair to say that her upbringing has most definitely made her who she is today, from a small town in Wyoming to being the only girl with 3 brothers, Cari's formative years set the foundation for her choices and actions today and are key in her decision to start HWS Advisors. Reduced price and Free Lunches and trips to the local County Public Health for immunizations and shots are embedded in her childhood and showed her the empowerment and freedom that these programs provide to our hardest working citizens. That early exposure and personal experiences served her very well when she went to college across the country and earned her degree in Computer Information Systems.

Fresh degree in hand, she made her way to the California Child Support Enforcement project and a thus began a career dedicated to working with Eligibility and Entitlement programs at the cross-roads of Policy and Technology.

Cari has spent the last 20 years working hand in hand with city, county and state level teams to design, build and deploy complex systems using a variety of technologies. She specialized in the most complex and difficult aspects of each program: Child Support Financials, Medicaid/SNAP/TANF Eligibility Rules, Adult and Juvenile Justice and more. Bourne out of this experience was a desire to work directly with her client counterparts to help them learn more about the why's of technology and system implementation. Cari has a deep appreciation and respect for these public assistance programs and the dedicated citizens that make them work. Through HWS Advisors, she looks forward to brining her experience with every phase of system creation across a plethora of technologies to bear for your teams.

HWS Advisors is Proudly WBENC-Certified

As a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), HWS Advisors continues to demonstrate our commitment to diversity, innovation, and empowering women in business. This certification reflects our ongoing dedication to excellence and to creating meaningful impact within our industry.

We are proud to bring this distinction to all of our partnerships and projects, as we work together to foster a more inclusive business landscape.