Leadership in Buffalo

Meet Jacqueline Ashby

Senior Vice President and Executive Director for City Year Buffalo

Jacqueline Ashby, senior vice president and executive director for City Year Buffalo, is a passionate collaborative leader driven by social justice and educational equity. Having taught in both Canada and the U.S., Jacqueline brings a wealth of diverse classroom-based experience in both the public and private sector to City Year. Jacqueline taught for Buffalo Public Schools as well as in an adult education program in Buffalo. Most recently, she led a talented team of teachers at Journey’s End Refugee Services, where the adult education program served Buffalo’s newest neighbors as they made their new homes in Western New York. Under her tenure, the program expanded opening a new site to serve an underrepresented community, secured multiple new funding streams include one through the New York State Department of Education and advanced its mission to provide culturally responsive educational programming to diverse adult and English Language Learners from all over the world while supporting them to achieve their goals.

Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jacqueline holds a bilingual Bachelor of Arts (French/English) in English literature and gender theory from Collège Glendon as well as a degree in urban adolescent education from York University. She serves on the New York Association of Continuing and Community Education as the President Elect, where she works to increase student access to inclusive and innovative community education programs across New York State. Jacqueline is a committed lifelong learner, who believes in serving her community with creativity and enthusiasm.

In her free time, Jacqueline loves traveling to unique places, camping and biking. She can often be found curled up with a good book, her four cats and dog or sampling the menus at new restaurants in Western New York with her partner.