Ashley Ranich is a Korean-American adoptee living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

She leads with an empathy-first mindset, believes in a place-based approach to community building, and places equal emphasis on both high and low culture. Her first job was at Aaron’s Water Ice & Beauty Supply Store where she was paid in ten dollar bills, Frooties, and Rap Snacks. Since then, she’s trapped in Williamsport, PA, served hiabchi, did that again, given university walking tours, barista-ed, acted as executive assistant to a CEO, interned at tech startups, served at restaurants that were converted from gas stations, made bank selling bottle service and cocktail waitressing at strip clubs, volunteered in hospice units, served on the volunteer board at harm reduction coalitions, led pro-bono communications strategy and participated in field work for Mik Pappa’s 2017 progressive independent run for Allegheny County’s 31st magisterial district against longtime incumbent Democrat Ron Costa Sr. based on reforming the criminal justice system (which he won), slung merch on a cross-country tour with dear friends, co-built the first internal marketing services consultancy at ShowClix, got promoted a few times and saw it through two acquisitions, partnered with the campaign manager for Summer Lee’s first historic run for PA State Representative, District 34 (and cried tears of joy in the process), volunteered hours to support resources for freelance theater workers in the wake of Covid-19, was a part of the founding team that built a contemporary art space that pays artists royalties based on earned ticketing revenue during that pandemic, built a team, led marketing and comms strategy, worked with artists and more artists, technologists, and musicians, and had a great fucking time at leading cultural center, Pioneer Works, went corporate at the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center, and NY Liberty, and then said fuck it, quit without a real plan, and threw it all away to pursue other interests, ideas, and ways of being, and ways of thinking because there’s no better time than the present to finally stop living from a place of fear and expectation.***************