Ana Garcia-Ashley

Born in the Dominican Republic, Garcia-Ashley was just four years old when she began canvassing in a rural village as part of a public safety campaign headed by her grandmother, a neighborhood activist. After the assassination of Rafael Trujillo, she and her family fled the political violence in the Dominican Republic and settled in New York.

Garcia-Ashley began organizing after graduating from the University of Colorado in Denver. Deeply interested in the intersection of politics and faith, she attended the Iliff School of Theology and joined Gamaliel in 1992 as the lead organizer of MICAH in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Garcia-Ashley led one of the most successful campaigns in Gamaliel’s history: winning a $500 million commitment from local banks to invest in affordable housing. As a result, 7,000 low-income families in Milwaukee were able to buy homes. Garcia-Ashley also founded Gamaliel’s statewide Wisconsin affiliate, WISDOM.

Garcia-Ashley splits her home life between Franklin, Wisconsin, and Atlanta, Georgia. She is married, has two daughters attending college, and is a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Atlanta.