Ashley S. Walker

Ashley Walker is a Senior Policy Advisor providing federal and state legislative solutions and grant funding advocacy for a variety of clients with interests in sustainable communities, housing, water, and education issues. She is an expert on education policy issues and is based in the Firm’s Sacramento office.

Ashley has many years of experience effectively representing client interests before the Federal government, and California Legislature, and has in-depth knowledge of the state and federal budget processes. Ashley excels at building strategic coalitions and leverages her deep-rooted relationships in Sacramento to assist clients in forming meaningful collaborations.

Ashley excels at grant writing and advocacy, and has secured millions of federal and state dollars in public funding honing her creative writing skills, for a wide range of community projects across the State, including parks and trails, cultural and recreational facilities, sustainable communities strategy planning, environmental enhancements, and vital public safety equipment.

Experience

County of Monterey. Serves as the State advocate for the County on all issues of priority related to the State budget, housing, water, social services, public safety, and natural resources. Has passed multiple state sponsored bills on behalf of the County, and secured $27 million in state budget funding for County specific projects. Provides local, state, and federal grant consulting services, including researching grant programs, assisting in the development of competitive applications and narrative, developing relationships with key decision makers and securing community and political support for projects.

City of Alameda. Successfully wrote and prepared a grant alongside City staff for a $2.5 million grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the City’s Estuary Park project. Estuary Park will serve Alameda’s city-wide population by providing unique recreational features, not typical of neighborhood parks. The Park includes four pickleball courts. There is only one other such court in the City, and it is well beyond capacity for the City’s population. The Park also includes recreational features specifically designed for seniors and children with developmental and physical disabilities. Additionally, the Park includes a large restroom and picnic areas to encourage residents from all over the City to enjoy park facilities for a longer period of time than residents could at a neighborhood park.

Community College Noncredit Coalition Building. Built a coalition of community college and adult education stakeholders across the State to take positions on issues pertaining to adult education funding and proposed policies. Through coordination of this coalition, successfully advocated for a change to the Governor's initial 2013-14 State budget proposal that addressed adult education in a way that was harmful to the funding for noncredit programs in community colleges. The change resulted in a final enacted budget that presented a favorable system for adult education and noncredit delivery that community colleges could fully support.

North Orange County Community College District. Serves as the advocate for the District at the federal and state levels of government and provides support for the District’s public policy priorities and grant needs. Maintains relationships on behalf of the District with the all relevant federal and state agencies, departments, and regulatory bodies, including the Governor's office, Legislature, legislative committees, and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Provides services such as monitoring of legislation, regulations, and grant programs in a proactive manner.

Mt. San Antonio College. Serves as the advocate for the District at the federal and state levels of government and provides support for the District’s public policy priorities and grant needs. Maintains relationships on behalf of the District with the all relevant federal and state agencies, departments, and regulatory bodies, including the Governor's office, Legislature, legislative committees, and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Provides services such as monitoring of legislation, regulations, and grant programs in a proactive manner

Publications

Blog Posts

Speaking Engagements

News

Community & Professional

Member, Capitol Network

Member, Institute of Governmental Advocates