Ashley Cheng
Board Member

Ashley Cheng grew up in Austin, on the floor of her parents’ Chinese restaurants. A typical Aquarius and Aries rising, she’s a communications consultant and the co-founder of Rouser, a creative civic engagement company named a 2019 Organization of the Year by the Travis County Democratic Party. She’s taken a non traditional path to activism, involving a 15-year stint as a corporate PR pro, an ice cream shop entrepreneur, and yoga therapist. Today, she's the board president of the nonpartisan statewide advocacy nonprofit Asian Texans for Justice and passionate about helping AAPIs feel bold in their own belonging. 

In 2022, she has been named the Austin Under 40 winner for civic and government affairs, a DivInc Champions of Change Rising Star nominee, and finalist for the Austin Chronicle’s Best Activist. In 2020, she was awarded the TCDP Anne McAfee Rising Star and a Tribeza Magazine Person of the Year. She co-hosts The Rabble, a Texas politics podcast leaving a trail of cupcake crumbs to the pearly gates of civic engagement. While she pursues her masters in social work from the University of Texas at Austin, she serves as a Democratic National Committee member,  dog mom to Eleanor Roooosevelt, and human mom to Cash.