(pronouns: She/Her/Sir)

​

Ashlyn was once a young person in what felt like an impossible situation. She raised herself and her siblings in the Bay Area, and came to Santa Cruz for education and new opportunities to explore her long list of passions. Through a lot of difficult days, paperwork, and strategic thinking, she was able to achieve her survival goals for her family and transition into being a community builder and an advocate, especially for young people and people in her BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Ashlyn wants to learn every day, and her career so far reflects that. She considers herself a professional in the arts and sciences of connecting people with resources, giving film recommendations, helping you fix your computer, fitting everything in the car, and providing basketball commentary. She currently lives with her wife and two pretty cute dogs.  

 

As an organizer and a person of action with considerable training and a wide network, Ashlyn’s extensive experience and education have yielded leadership roles and shareable power at the California Film and Cultural Center, Westside Video, EDI Educators, the Diversity Center, numerous library systems, and several other organizations. Ashlyn is a noisemaker behind projects such as bringing together behavioral health teams in collaboration with county schools, widespread Wi-Fi hotspot distribution, closing the digital divide for marginalized groups, youth storytelling through film, and inclusive policy creation and document audits for major corporations, government organizations, and small but mighty enterprises.

 

If you’re interested in working with Ashlyn and/or hearing more about her work as a commissioner on the Santa Cruz County Justice and Gender commission, digital literacy and access, filmmaking and film distribution, emergency management, or EDI (Explicit Direct Instruction) training, please reach out so we can get started on building a better world.