Daniel O. Ash

Daniel O. Ash is president of the Field Foundation of Illinois and a member of the Field Foundation Board of Directors. He is responsible for collaborating with the board and staff to help the foundation advance its work—power building in Chicago communities by investing in Art, Journalism & Storytelling, Justice, and Leadership Investment. Annually, the foundation, along with its strategic funding partners, distributes more than $6.5 million in grants to organizations working to address systemic issues in Chicago’s divested communities.

Prior to becoming the Field Foundation’s president in June 2022, Daniel served as associate vice president of Community Impact for The Chicago Community Trust, where he was responsible for creating the Building Collective Power strategy to help advance equitable neighborhoods within underinvested communities through grantmaking to community organizing, storytelling and resident-driven initiatives. Previously, Daniel served as the Trust’s chief marketing officer with responsibility for directing brand strategy and communications, and for spearheading the development of On the Table, an ongoing civic engagement and dialogue platform designed to center and amplify resident voices and create greater civic connectedness across the Chicago region.

Before joining the Trust, Daniel spent ten years as vice president of Chicago Public Media, production home of WBEZ/91.5FM (Chicago’s primary NPR station), This American Life, Sound Opinions, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me and Vocalo.org. In this role, he was responsible for the organization’s two largest revenue categories—corporate sponsorship and individual giving—and led double-digit growth during his tenure. Additionally, he oversaw marketing and strategic partnerships. He was a key voice in shaping Chicago Public Media’s overall strategic focus.

Daniel’s professional career has been focused on developing and using marketing and communication tools to advance social causes. He has worked exclusively in the nonprofit sector on issues including poverty, adolescent health, and HIV/AIDS care and prevention. The early stage of Daniel’s professional career included leadership roles at Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Chicago Department of Public Health, Center for Family Policy and Practice, and the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health.

In addition to his Field Foundation responsibilities, Daniel chairs the boards of Chicago Learning Exchange, Community Desk Chicago, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre. He also serves as a board member for Catchafire, The Moth, and the North Lawndale Employment Network.

Daniel earned his M.P.P. from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in Economics from Oberlin College. He completed a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship at Princeton University.

Daniel was selected as a Daniel Burnham Fellow in 2023. He has been recognized as a Crain’s Chicago Notable Leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In 2022, he received the Advocate for Equity award from Chicago African Americans In Philanthropy (CAAIP).