Ashley Tejada is a dedicated advocate towards creating organizational partnerships, promoting regional assessments surrounding educational access, and activating student leadership development for college students statewide. As Public Affairs Manager at the Campaign for College Opportunity, she oversees Los Angeles Hub engagement, fostering partnerships that align with the Campain’s mission and continue to amplify affordability issues, student transfer barriers, and community engagement. In combination with connecting the organization’s grant objectives to tangible Public Affairs Team efforts, she also co-leads the Student Leadership Institute (SLI). The Student Leadership Institute is seven-month program uniting students across California to ignite their leadership development, equip them with public speaking and professional development skills, and empower them to drive systemic change.
A double alumna of San Diego State University, Tejada holds a Master of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and English. Her research explores leadership development, graduate student adversity, and resilience among students with mental health conditions.
Before her current role, Ashley lead strategic engagement and special projects in the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity at SDSU. She also gained competencies in marketing and communications with organizations like the San Diego Gulls Hockey Club and Todd Bulich Real Estate Co.
Ashley served as San Diego State University Associated Students President (2021-22) and Graduate Student Association President (2022-23), leading initiatives for an inclusive post-pandemic campus re-entry, budget allocations for student services, and institutional accountability as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). She established the Center for Graduate Life and Diversity, advocated for underrepresented student populations, and co-founded key campus committees, including the Campus Safety Committee and Mission Valley Expansion Project Board.
With a passion for partnerships, student success, and connectivity building, Ashley continues to champion the Campaign’s core values of expanding higher education access across the state of California.
M.A. Educational Leadership; B.A. English and Leadership (San Diego State University)
Your role in one sentence:
A large element to this role is supporting the Public Affairs and Policy Teams by researching and synthesizing regional data to present during the 2023 Listening Tour, and meeting with key stakeholders across the state in efforts of capturing key themes.
When I am not at work helping students get to and succeed in college, I am…
Attending San Diego Wave FC soccer games as a passionate National Women’s Soccer League fan and developing my pickleball skills.
If not higher education, then what cause?
Leadership-centered initiatives and community empowerment