Ashanti Sears is a data-driven strategist, community leader, and education advocate originally from Cleveland, Ohio, now residing in Austin, Texas. She serves as President of the Austin Area Urban League Young Professionals, where she leads initiatives focused on civic engagement, policy education, and leadership development. With a background in data analytics and digital transformation, Ashanti specializes in using data to drive equitable solutions in education and community development. Passionate about bridging the gap between policy and action, she is committed to advocating for education policies that promote equity and personal growth for all people. Through the YPI: EDU Leadership Fellowship, she aims to develop actionable strategies that empower communities with data-driven insights to shape education policy and improve student outcomes.

In her spare time, Ashanti enjoys hosting local AI meetups to foster dialogue around emerging technology, exploring Austin’s creative culture, and staying grounded through yoga, Pilates, and HIIT training. Her analytical mindset was sharpened during her time as a data analyst at Apple, where she used Excel and Tableau to evaluate program performance and identify areas for process improvement. This experience, combined with her community leadership and storytelling skills, makes her uniquely positioned to conduct research that is both methodologically sound and grounded in the lived experiences of marginalized communities. Ashanti brings both curiosity and clarity to her work—bridging research and real-world action to inform the policies that shape our future.