As a consultant, Ashley brings a decade of experience in research, policy recommendation, academic instruction on inequality, and direct advocacy to the table. Her work includes addressing disparities in outcomes for systemically marginalized groups in the United States with data driven recommendations and strategies for policy implementation.
Ashley has always strived to remain active in organizations that advocate for social, political, and economic equality in various communities. In 2013 she was recruited by the New Orleans Health Department to conduct research for the Blueprint for Safety. This project created policy recommendations for New Orleans City government to address the disparity of impact that domestic violence has on Black American and LGBTQ+ survivors. After working with city government, Ashley transitioned to non-profit advocacy as a Gender-Based Violence program manager. Funded through the US Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Act, she successfully created a culturally specific program serving women throughout the New Orleans Metropolitan area.
Since relocating to New York, Ashley has consulted at the NY Department of Education conducting research for their Extended Success Initiative and Culturally Relevant Education programs. At the NYDOE Ashley worked with the Research Policy & Support Group to develop and implement tools that sought to lessen the disparity of impact that Black and Latinx students experience in education across the five boroughs. She also worked with the Russel-Sage Foundation as a research specialist contributing to the forthcoming book “The Etiquette of Inequality in Democratic Spaces.”
Most recently Ashley's report, The Diversity Gap: Black and Latinx Representation Disparities in the Legal Pipeline, was published by the New York City Bar Association. This report makes six recommendations, which the City Bar intends to implement in phases, for empowering pipeline programs to increase their efficacy in recruiting Black and Latinx/Hispanic candidates to become attorneys.
Merging her passion for the Arts with academic rigor, Ashley develops creative ways to translate complex theories through artistic mediums. She has created content, curated exhibits grounded in sociological concepts, and served as a content consultant on various projects. Her vision is to make valuable information accessible and relatable to communities that would otherwise be excluded.
Ashley earned her B.A. and Master's degrees in Sociology from the University of New Orleans, concentrating in Intersectional Theory. Ashley is currently a PhD candidate in Public & Urban Policy at the New School's Milano School of International Affairs. Her research interests focus on understanding various ways racial minorities experience U.S. citizenship in a presumedly post-racial society. Ashley is also an adjunct professor at the City University of New York’s York College, teaching courses in the Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, Social Stratification, and Social Theory & Analysis.
Ashley currently resides in Harlem, USA, but New Orleans will always be her home.