Ashley Kuenneke

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT ASHLEY KUENNEKE

Ashley Kuenneke (they/them) is a civic engagement specialist who believes in the power of bringing people together to create the change they want to see in their communities. As an AmeriCorps VISTA in Newburgh, NY, they witnessed the passion and integrity that engaged local community members bring to their neighborhoods and organizations; since then, they have devoted their career to creating more opportunities for meaningful community participation within organizations and local government. In their current position as Senior Community Engagement Coordinator for Manhattan with Partnerships for Parks, Ashley supports community leaders who care for and activate their local green spaces by connecting them to resources, advising on organizational development, providing logistical support for event and volunteer project planning, and facilitating productive dialogues with NYC Parks and other decision makers.Ashley holds a Masters in Public Administration from Pace University and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Sociology from Binghamton University. Their graduate research on equity and participatory budgeting in New York City, co-authored with Dr. Gina Scutelnicu, was published in Public Administration Quarterly in December 2021.Ashley is also passionate about environmental justice and connecting people and the more-than-human world, and volunteers as one of the General Coordinators and Grower Team Coordinators of Q Gardens Community Farm, a BQLT affiliate garden in Flatbush, Brooklyn. They completed the Master Gardener program with NYC Parks at Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 2022 and participated in the 2024 class of The Sanitation Foundation\'s Trash Academy.