Ashley R. Wallace is the new Executive Director of the Central Baltimore Partnership (CBP) beginning December 1, 2025, where she leads one of Baltimore’s most innovative and collaborative community development organizations. A seasoned community development leader with more than 15 years of experience at CBP, Ashley has shaped and advanced transformative revitalization strategies across Central Baltimore’s eleven neighborhoods, driving investment, expanding opportunities for residents, and forging community partnerships that creates lasting and equitable change.
Ashley’s leadership has been central to CBP’s most significant initiatives, securing and deploying more than $30 million in public capital funds during her tenure. She has stewarded major multi-neighborhood master plans and catalytic projects, including the $10M Homewood Community Partners Initiative and CBP’s nationally recognized Front and Center Equity Plan. She was instrumental in CBP’s early work, building relationships and establishing trust with the diverse Central Baltimore communities CBP serves. Her work spans affordable housing, economic development, commercial revitalization, public realm improvements, and capacity-building for over 150 partner organizations. Known for her ability to translate complex community priorities into executable, well-resourced strategies, Ashley has built enduring collaborations with residents, anchor institutions, elected officials, and state and local agencies.
Previously, Ashley served as the Deputy Director of CBP, where she oversaw organizational development, financial administration, strategic planning, human resources, and major funder relationships. Starting in 2022, Ashley had also served as Executive Director of the Central Baltimore Future Fund (CBFF), CBP’s real estate subsidiary. In this role, she managed an expanding portfolio of commercial and mixed-use properties and lead real estate strategies that reduced vacancy, supported minority developers, and strengthened commercial corridors. Ashley has overseen several major acquisitions and redevelopment efforts and the restructuring of CBFF’s governance, financial, and administrative systems. Under her leadership, CBFF secured more than $2M in new capital grants and launched an innovative joint venture model to reactivate the historic North Avenue Market.
Ashley brings a strong background in urban and regional planning, including prior work in Wisconsin as a community planner and program analyst. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Peace, Conflict, and Global Studies from Northland College and a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She relocated to Baltimore through the AmeriCorps VISTA program and has deep community service values.
Her early experience includes leading a community-led wetland restoration project in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward and coordinating Wisconsin’s statewide community master planning grant program.
Ashley lives in Baltimore City with her family, including her two young children, where they celebrate and revel in the diversity, creativity, and community spirit that define the city. She is deeply committed to advancing equitable development, strengthening local partnerships across communities, and ensuring that Central Baltimore neighborhoods continue to grow and thrive for generations to come.