Erin Hannon

Grew Up... in foster families. As a child, she would hide her face in her hair to distance herself from her situation. Her primary foster home was a strict Christian household, which isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows her.

Living… with a permanent smile on her face. She’s new here in Scranton, Pa., and loves it so far. No matter what is going on around her, Erin is sure she’s living in the best of all possible worlds.

Profession… receptionist at Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. She replaced Pam once Pam left to join Michael Scott Paper Company. Pam lasted a day with Michael before wanting her old job back, but she’d already been replaced. Not only does Erin love the job in a way Pam never did, she brings an entirely different attitude to being a receptionist. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was her dream job. It truly might be.

Interests… anything. Erin is easily impressed. She admires co-worker Kelly, for instance, because she gets her clothes at the mall. Commonplace banalities – iPods, disposable cameras – are enough to captivate her.

Relationship Status… dating co-worker Andy Bernard. At first they wanted to keep it a secret, but that was difficult in ways they hadn’t expected. Not being completely upfront caused tension between them and it became more and more difficult to keep it concealed. In the end, they only made it two dates before Andy announced it to the entire building.

Challenge… maintaining her cheerful spirit in the face of office mishaps. When you’re working for Michael Scott, not every day is going to be a picnic. Erin was also distraught when she found out about Andy’s earlier year-long engagement with fellow co-worker Angela – mainly because Andy was so secretive about it. Erin’s optimism gets her through rough patches, but her naïveté can get her into them.

Personality… wide-eyed and bubbly. Erin has a childlike innocence that stands in sharp contrast to her disillusioned co-workers. She stays upbeat no matter what the day brings and she sees fun where others see disaster. At times, her guilelessness even verges on airheaded-ness, like her belief that disposable cameras are a waste because you throw them away once you use up the roll, and thus never get to see the pictures.