Ashling is the Director of Federal Affairs for the American Federation for Children. She joined AFC from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where she managed the federal advocacy of the Bishops’ public policy agenda on education and other domestic issues. Previously, Ashling spent five years in the U.S. Senate, serving as an education policy advisor to Senator Tim Scott and an education policy fellow to then-Senator Marco Rubio. She began her career as a high school English teacher in Memphis, Tennessee through Teach for America. Ashling holds a Master’s in Education from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and son.