Ashley Cech

Background

About Ashley Cech

For over a decade, I worked for the Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country. I managed our Survivor Fellowship Program, a nationwide volunteer advocacy and leadership training program started in 2015 that supports, amplifies and elevates the voices of gun violence survivors in trauma-informed and ethical ways. There are 230+ Survivor Fellows across the country, representing 42 states + Washington D.C. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to help shape a number of meaningful campaigns and programs from their inception with the goal of increasing awareness about the long-lasting effects of gun violence on individuals, communities, and beyond. It seems rare to find a job as fulfilling as supporting a diverse cohort of courageous volunteers and I am proud to have authored our organization's first-ever onboarding training for staff about the intersections of our work with trauma and its toll on staff sustainability and wellbeing. I also discovered a secret love of data and the administration side of program management; few things bring me more satisfaction than an impeccably organized spreadsheet and I am obsessed with creating systems to make processes more efficient. I have developed a reporting system that has enabled us to capture and track the hundreds of thousands of people reached by powerful advocacy efforts of volunteers across the country. I believe it is crucial to infuse every aspect of process development with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Without this, we will not be set up for success. Outside of professional interests, I could talk endlessly with anyone about arts & crafts, baking baklava, or how to crochet the perfect winter scarf!