Erica Bruno was practically born with motor oil in her veins. Hailing from Southeastern Massachusetts, she grew up in a legendary car family. Her grandfather, Jack Barboza, made history as one of the first Portuguese male car dealers in the U.S., running up to 17 franchises at once. Her mother followed suit, breaking barriers as the 7th female Toyota dealer in the nation—and the first in New England.
Even though her family tried steering her away from the business, Erica was hooked from the age of 7, when she cleaned her grandfather’s Dodge store office in exchange for a My Little Pony. Since then, she’s done it all—from washing cars and working in service & parts to selling on the showroom floor.
Keeping her promise to “get the degree first,” Erica graduated from the University of Vermont with a BA in History and Anthropology and a minor in Jazz Voice (yes, she’s a trained singer who almost went to Broadway). But just one month after graduation, she made her move—straight to Torrance, California, to begin her career at Toyota USA through their elite management training program.
Her journey has taken her from OEM giants like Toyota, Nissan, and Volvo to being one of the first 100 employees at AutomotiveMastermind, and beyond. She’s built a reputation for transforming dealership operations through branding, marketing, and data optimization—all while keeping the customer and culture at the heart of every strategy.
Erica is also a proud member of WOCAN (Women of Color Automotive Network) where she helps lead community initiatives, events, and newsletters that empower and connect women across the industry.
In 2021, she went viral on LinkedIn after vulnerably sharing the emotional impact of being laid off during COVID—a moment that sparked exponential professional growth and deepened her industry connections. Today, she uses that platform to inspire, educate, and uplift others navigating their own path in the car biz.
Off the clock, you’ll find Erica belting show tunes, cuddling animals, cracking jokes, or hyping up her people. She’s a true car girl at heart—and she’s just getting started.
erica.bruno@recallmasters.com
https://www.linkedin.com/ericabruno
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.