This profile is part of a series that celebrates the individuals who fuel Hopkins.
Ashley Cleveland loves helping city governments better meet the needs of their citizens.
Before moving to Baltimore last year, she worked as a senior advisor in Salt Lake City, Utah, for Mayor Erin Mendenhall. There, she managed the Love Your Block program, which is run by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins to support resident-led neighborhood revitalization projects in cities across the U.S.
Through her work with Love Your Block, Ashley got to know the Bloomberg Center team, which led to a job offer for a role as a senior program advisor on the team in Baltimore.
"I was really excited about the way they think outside the box and all the different tools they use to engage with residents and with city governments," she says.
Here, Ashley talks about her transition to Baltimore and a career at Johns Hopkins.
You're new to Baltimore. What have you found here that you love?
One of the reasons I decided to move here was not only because of Johns Hopkins University, but because of Baltimore. Baltimore is a really amazing city, and we're at a really great time now.
In Salt Lake City, we had this bike ride called the 999. It's every Thursday at nine o'clock in 9th and 9th [a Salt Lake City neighborhood]. Here, we have the Baltimore Bike Party once a month, and that has made me feel at home.
My daughter and I have also been visiting our local recreation center. She's little and really active, and we both really love outdoor recreation, so we go to our local center and use the climbing wall. We also go on hikes together, and I think checking out parks here in Baltimore has been our bucket list item. Every weekend we check out a new park together.
In that spirit of navigating newness, was there anything that helped bridge the transition for you and your daughter?
When I was interviewing, there was a great human resources specialist that came in and told me about the benefits, including the Live Near Your Work Program. I think looking up grants, especially for first-time home buyers, can be daunting, but Hopkins made it really easy and a lot less scary. Now I'm a first-time home buyer.
Can you describe a typical day in your role?
Sure. So I live really close to work because of the Live Near Your Work program. I'm able to use my car a lot less, and I use my e-bike a lot, and there's a lot of really great bike paths near work. Lately, I've been getting up about 30 minutes earlier, pulling my bike out of the garage when it's not so cold and riding my e-bike to work. Then I live so close that I can ride it back to my daughter's school and walk with her home.
In the office, I usually meet with our civic engagement team; the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation works with GovEx, the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence. Essentially we work out different coaching methods and host webinars and trainings for teams across the U.S. who do civic engagement in city hall. We're trying to make sure that there are better relationships with residents.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I think my favorite part of my job is getting to know other city government employees like myself. I think that people who work for local city governments and live where they work really care about what they do, and they want to build trust with residents, and so I think they work very hard every day to make sure that they're the frontline and the front door for people to get to know city government.
What's your career superpower?
Oh my goodness. I would have to say it's warmth and encouragement. I know that probably sounds cheesy, but I think sometimes when people think about local government and the issues that they face in cities every day, it can be really daunting or overwhelming. I just really want them to know that it's not, and that their experience is enough to change things in their city.
