Ashlei Spivey (she) is a bold visionary that actively works to create just communities centered in Black liberation. In her work as a social entrepreneur and ecosystem builder, she champions racial and gender justice to create transformative system change. She is a graduate of Jackson State University where she studied communications and marketing, then attending University of Texas Arlington for her master’s program in urban social planning.

Ashlei’s impact is evident in the movements she launched including I Be Black Girl (IBBG). IBBG, where she serves as founder and Executive Director, is a collective that supports Black women, femmes, and girls to live wholly, has had outsized impact since inception, like investing over $3M back into community. She proudly serves on the ACLU of Nebraska board of directors as the Board President, the Women’s Funding Network as a board member and is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. In 2022, she was chosen as an MIT REAP participant to work on regional entrepreneurial ecosystem building with a select team from Omaha, and in 2023 was chosen as a J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize Awardee, where she is one of 10 leaders selected out of 3200 for her innovative approach around reproductive wellbeing and justice.

Her work has been acknowledged by receiving the Midlands Business Journal 40 under 40, The Chamber YP Changemaker, Urban League YP Leadership Award, Ten Outstanding Young Omahan, WCA’s Tribute to Women, Nebraska Public Health Defender, and NAACP Community Partner awards. She has also been featured in both Forbes and Essence magazines.

Most importantly she is a mother, friend, daughter, and neighbor.