Cachet Digital recently caught up with Ethan Ashley. Ashley is the youngest Orleans Parish School Board Member and we are excited to share a glimpse of his experience. Hopefully his experience will energize our readers to get involved locally or get behind some one who has a movement for change in their city.
There are many ways to make a difference in your community. Volunteer, get involved politically, or even run for a elected position to make changes to policy. Ethan and I are both Bisons (graduates of Howard University) and I’ve always admired all that good he does in New Orleans for some time. Cachet Digital will be sharing some his insights and thoughts as he goes on his journey as a school board member along with his impressions of the status quo of New Orleans. I’m proud to welcome him to our contributing writer team!
From the Desk of Ethan Ashley:
As the youngest school board member, I can say confidently that I am inspired by the wisdom of my fellow board members! July 20th, 2017 marked our seventh business board meeting together; and, after the meeting, I took time to reflect on my experience with each of my colleagues. After doing so, I thought I would share my candid observations about each of my fellow elected school board members…
I will start with our Board President John Brown. He is our elder statesman! He is the most principled man that I have ever watched in public service. His energy and love for our youth and community is exemplified in his tireless leadership, month-after-month. Our Board Vice President, Leslie Ellison, is the grandest example of leading with class and command. She is a true champion for community, parent and, most importantly, student voice. Our Property Chairman, Nolan Marshall, can be counted on to ask the right questions at the right time. His focus on the big picture of improving our system for children is unwavering, which is noted by his 30 plus years of service to our public education system. Our Accountability Chairman, Ben Kleban, owns the voice of equity and finance. His passion for ensuring that our system does right by all children is fierce and his occasional eloquent soliloquies showcase his heart and passion. Our Policy Chairwoman, Sarah Usdin, is always willing to dig deep on data to inform and maximize the outcomes for our youth. She will always ask a question to discover the deeper layer of a problem, which pushes us to higher standards and outcomes. Our Budget & Finance Chairman, Woody Koppel, speaks up to ensure that the proper process is being codified and followed. He is a stickler for doing right in process to ensure fairness and equality.
After Seven months of service, I am clear that my colleagues are rock stars for public education, our students and community! I can admit that I don’t always show up as my best self, but the way in which my colleagues show up every day on behalf of our district inspires me to be and do better. I am proud to serve as an elected school board member alongside these amazing “servant leaders.”
About Ethan Ashley:
Ethan Ashley was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. At the age of 16, he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, a law magnet high school in Los Angeles, California. After high school, he continued his education at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Juris Doctorate by the age of 22. While in D.C., Ethan worked for Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, and the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
During his studies at Howard and after the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Ethan dedicated over a week’s worth of service each year since 2006 to the city of New Orleans. To continue his efforts of rebuilding New Orleans, Ethan, immediately after graduation from law school, moved to New Orleans to work as a first-year staff attorney and project director at the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, where he was tasked with running their project to end juvenile life sentences in the state of Louisiana. In this position, Ethan worked in a legal, organizational, and policy-based capacity.
Ethan’s passion to change the infamous school-to-prison-pipeline is what motivated his career change into the field of education. For almost two years, Ethan worked as the New Orleans Director for the Black Alliance for Educational Options, where he was tasked with organizing, fundraising, and developing programs focused on increasing high quality educational options for black youth who come from low income and working class families. In September of 2014, Ethan Ashley joined the Urban League of Greater New Orleans as the Director of Community Engagement. As Director of Community Engagement, Ethan leads the community and partnership based work in education, criminal justice, and civic engagement. Ethan created and leads an educational leadership community program called Urban Leaders for Equity and Diversity (ULEAD), a juvenile alternative to detention program called Community Coaching, and various civil engagement activities including the High School Civic Engagement Challenge.
Ethan is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc. Ethan is a 2014 fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network. During his fellowship, he created and still maintains a Black Male Leadership program called the New Orleans Black Male Achievement Network (NOBMAN). In addition, Ethan was recently elected to the Orleans Parish School Board and represents District 2. Ethan is the proud co-owner of JE Howard Ventures, an investment company that specializes in community development. Above all, Ethan is a member of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and is a strong advocate for youth justice, civil rights, and servant leadership.
Learn More via his official website: http://ethanashley.org/
Follow him on ig: @EthanCAshley
EA’s Blog was reprinted with permission.
