Ashley Chesney is a Survivor Leader, trainer, and advocate in the Anti-Trafficking Movement. She is the Executive Director of the non-profit organization Set Free Monterey Bay and additionally serves at the State level as a member of the CSEC (Commercially Sexually Exploited Children) Advisory Board through the National Center of Youth Law. Ashley is an inspiring speaker and expert trainer that has educated law enforcement, service providers, medical personnel as well as middle school and high school students on prevention work and the effects of human trafficking. As one of the founding members of the non-profit Set Free Monterey Bay, she has assisted multiple survivors in receiving critical services, including housing, addiction services, and therapy within their residential program and outpatient care. She also partners with an organization called Eden’s Glory where she mentors and runs virtual classes with the residents in their program. Ashley facilitates a street outreach team that engages with women living in vulnerable communities.

In addition to her service in the anti-human trafficking movement, she also served as a behavioral therapist who provides services and emotional support to at-risk children with special needs and/or developmental disabilities. It is through her own journey, she has found healing that she wants to share with others. Ashley believes that advocacy, connection, and hope are key in guiding other survivors on a path to reclaim their lives after exploitation. She is pursuing a B.A. in Collaborative Health and Human Services from Cal State Monterey Bay and is currently in an interdisciplinary program with an emphasis on nonprofit management and social work. She plans to get her clinical MSW.

Ashley is a sex trafficking survivor turned thriver. She has survived childhood sexual abuse, overcome drug addiction, and walked through the prison system with a resilience that can only come from God’s undeniable grace. Ashley is a writer and the author of her personal memoir From The Ashes.