It is our honor to announce the promotion of Ashleigh Gardere to the newly created position of PolicyLink Executive Vice President. In this role, Ashleigh will guide the development and execution of programs to ensure that the 100 million people in America living in or near poverty — particularly those who face the burdens of structural racism — can participate in a just society, live in a healthy community of opportunity, and prosper in an equitable economy.

Ashleigh joined PolicyLink in July 2020. In less than a year, she has partnered closely with President and CEO Michael McAfee to set a new strategic direction for the organization that:

• Centers and extends the reach and impact of movement leaders to drive a compelling and coordinated policy agenda by equipping them with the data, capital, visibility, and networks to orchestrate sustained, structural wins.
   
• Transforms federal, local, and state governments into antiracist institutions by implementing a racial equity governing agenda, one that includes new governance standards, legislation scoring criteria, departmental audits, and ambitious policy packages — developed jointly with equity advocates.
   
• Enables corporations to use their outsized influence and serve as equity champions by providing them with customized roadmaps, rigorous standards, accountability mechanisms, and narratives that evolve their engagement beyond philanthropy into active practice.

As Executive Vice President, Ashleigh will manage programs and strategy to deliver a higher level of leadership and partnership across the broader equity ecosystem, activating common and uncommon partners to realize a shared national equity agenda.

A Distinguished Career

In her previous positions, Ashleigh has been a pioneer in driving inclusive economic growth, working effectively across government, business, and nonprofit sectors to deliver transformative results in New Orleans while influencing new practices and policies across the nation. Recognized by Living Cities as one of the nation’s Top 25 Disruptive Leaders working to close racial wealth gaps, Ashleigh is an expert in economic and workforce development, public policy, organizational leadership and culture change, and performance management for large-scale systems transformation. She raised over $150 million to support innovation and institution-building in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the New Orleans Business Alliance, Ashleigh transformed the public-private partnership into one of the nation’s leading economic development organizations prioritizing inclusive growth as the pathway to a thriving, sustainable economy. She established a new organizational structure and culture of performance while aligning industry attraction, small business growth, talent, and strategic neighborhood development strategies to deliver greater benefits to locals.

Ashleigh also served as Senior Advisor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu, connecting New Orleans residents to family-sustaining wages and business growth opportunities. As principal strategist, implementer and coordinator of the Mayor’s Economic Opportunity Strategy, Ashleigh led a cross-sector initiative that reduced the African American male non-employment rate from 52 percent to 43.9 percent. In addition to passing one of the first local hire policies in the American South — and successfully defending the policy from state preemption, she set a new standard of proactive compliance with the City’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) policy, increasing DBE participation from 35 percent to 48.62 percent in just three years.

Ashleigh previously served as Vice President of Community Relations at Chase Bank for Louisiana. During her tenure, she envisioned, established, and convened a collaborative of local and national foundations to support the revitalization of the Central City neighborhood as a model for post-Katrina, community-led rebuilding. Ashleigh began her career working in strategic planning and policy development roles supporting the work of local and national nonprofit organizations with community development-oriented missions, including the F.B. Heron Foundation, Center for Community Change, and Greater Treme Consortium.

Family and Commitments

The mother of two sons, Jayden and Justin, Ashleigh is married to Lamar Gardere, a data and research executive. She serves as a trustee of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, which partners with organizations and networks to alleviate poverty and increase social and economic justice in 11 Southern states. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from New York University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where she was a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow. 

“At this critical moment in the nation’s history,” Ashleigh says, “I am honored to become a member of the executive leadership team of PolicyLink. I am humbled by the opportunity to evolve our programmatic work to meet not only this moment but what the future demands, that we finally win on equity.”

As president and CEO, Michael McAfee adds that “PolicyLink is thrilled to welcome Ashleigh to her new role and eager to tap her knowledge and expertise as the organization moves closer to realizing the promise of equity. Please join me in welcoming Ashleigh to her new position and supporting her efforts to advance a national equity agenda.”

PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works®. Please visit our website at: www.policylink.org to learn more about our work, values, and impact.