Silicon Valley Executive Director
This position is currently vacant. Please contact Whitney Smith, CEO for information: whitney@girlsforachange.org

Silicon Valley Program Manager
This position is currently vacant. Please contact Meghan Arrigo, Western Region Program Director for information: meghan@girlsforachange.org

Ashley Smith, Silicon Valley Program Director
ashley@girlsforachange.org, 408.529.9304

Ashley has been a volunteer and/or part time staff with GFC over the last 4 years. She began working full time as the Operations and Program Assistant in May of 2006 and is now working as the Silicon Valley Program Director. Ashley infuses a strong sense of social justice and creativity to her work at GFC because of her background as an artist and activist. Ashley moved from Pennsylvania to California in 1999. She graduated from the California College of the Arts and Crafts in 2004 with an M.F.A. in Sculpture. Previously working with collaborative partner, she has worked on many pieces and projects around taking action for social change. The worked ranged from gallery installation to performance art.

One of the projects called “Soup Cart” was performed in on the biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving, known as “Black Friday." The atmosphere includes long lines to enter stores and heavy traffic. With a steel, three -wheeled, hand-constructed soup cart Ashley and her partners served lunch to anyone that wanted to eat - from the homeless to big holiday spenders in fur coats. They served a hearty home-made Persian soup in hand made ceramic bowls with a peace sign carved into the bottom of the bowl. The bowls were given away with the soup with the goal of encouraging connection. In turn, the artists, were gifted by the people they encountered with smiles, tears of joy, love, human connection, stories and immeasurable thanks.