Meet Our Founder
Ashley B. McMichael, M.S.
"As a young child I was vulnerable and victimized. My story, however, is akin to many others who have experienced similar or worse treatment. In fact, my story was a link in a vicious cycle that plagues many families. Both my mother and father suffered from adverse childhood experiences, so lacked the resources to address their own trauma, let alone support me in my trauma.
Despite the many adversities I have experienced, I have been quite successful, each trauma serving as a learning opportunity for growth. As an undergraduate student at Albany State, I was given the opportunity to dream, surrounded by faculty and staff who supported and believed in me, which was integral to my ambition and pursuit of higher education. As a fellow at the National Institutes of Health, it was an honor but a blow to my self-esteem where I suffered from imposter syndrome.
Finally, I graduated with my master’s from Georgetown University, serving to bolster my self-esteem by seeing that I could perform at the level of my white counterparts. The culmination of my experiences left me with the three key components of success for those who look like me; healing, education and early exposure.
I received the Black Female Founder Award - Women's Business Enterprise Council and is Citybridge Design Residency . I was selected for Open Access Fellowship at Novogradac to obtain community development certification, laying groundwork to bring affordable housing solutions to Wards 7-8. My trauma and life experiences make her relatable. I am the families we serve. The only thing that separates me is my belief in myself and my relentless pursuit of racial equity.