Ashley Swearengin

Ashley is President and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation (CVCF), a charitable foundation serving the six counties of Central California and providing over $100 million in funding to over 650 community benefit organizations over the last decade. She is passionate about smart philanthropy, the kind that can lead and invest in solutions that build stronger communities.

Prior to joining CVCF, she served as Mayor of the City of Fresno from 2009 through 2016, where she implemented substantial land-use policy changes focused on revitalizing Fresno’s downtown and urban core, promoted business and job growth, oversaw a 55% net reduction in chronic homelessness, and stabilized the city’s financial position through the Great Recession.

Before becoming mayor, Ashley led a number of economic development initiatives in the Fresno region, including the Central Valley Business Incubator, Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development, and the Regional Jobs Initiative.

She holds M.B.A and B.S degrees from California State University, Fresno. She sits on numerous boards of organizations dedicated to economic empowerment and educational attainment in the Central Valley, California and U.S., including the College Futures Foundation, California Forward, New America, the Urban Institute, and FUSE Corps.