Biography

Ashleigh Gardere serves as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA), responsible for transforming the public-private partnership into one of the nation’s leading economic development organizations and prioritizing inclusive growth as the pathway to a thriving, sustainable economy.

Gardere most recently served as a Senior Advisor to Mayor Mitch Landrieu. In this role, she managed the Mayor’s Economic Opportunity Strategy and supported the revitalization of the Claiborne Corridor through a cross-sector initiative called The Network for Economic Opportunity. The Network was responsible for the start-up, development, implementation and management of productive partnerships among local industries, small businesses, residents, non-profits and city agencies to drive long-term economic growth.

Gardere previously served as Vice President of Community Relations at Chase Bank for Louisiana. During her tenure, she piloted the firm’s place-based neighborhood revitalization strategy. She began her career working in various strategic planning and policy development roles supporting the work of local and national nonprofit organizations with community development-oriented missions.

A New Orleans native, Gardere earned a B.A. in metropolitan studies from New York University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.