Daniel O. Ash
President
Daniel O. Ash (he/him/his) is President of the Field Foundation of Illinois. He is responsible for collaborating with the board and staff to help the foundation advance its work—supporting power building in Chicago by investing in civic infrastructure, the cultural sector, local news outlets, and organizers. Annually, the foundation, along with its strategic funding partners, distributes more than $10 million to organizations and leaders working to address systemic issues in historically marginalized areas of the city.
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, a 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 and was a key voice in shaping its overall strategic focus. Specifically, he was responsible for the organization’s two largest revenue categories—corporate sponsorship and individual giving—and he led double-digit growth during his tenure.
Daniel has worked 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 and Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre. He also serves as a board member for CAN TV Chicago, Catchafire, Community Desk Chicago, The Moth, and the North Lawndale Employment Network.
Daniel earned his MPP 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 has been recognized as a Crain’s Chicago Notable Leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In 2024, he received the Minorities in Public Policy Studies (MiPPS) Alumni Award from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He was selected as a Leadership Greater Chicago Daniel Burnham Fellow in 2023. In 2022, he received the Advocate for Equity award from Chicago African Americans In Philanthropy (CAAIP).
Email: dash@fieldfoundation.org
