NEW YORK, NY, December 08, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ashley Nicole Staggers has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Marked by a series of impactful roles and leadership positions across prominent organizations, Ms. Staggers is a dedicated advocate for youth empowerment, public policy and the prevention of sexual violence. In 2025, she assumed the role of director of the Fostering Youth Success Alliance at Children's Aid in New York, where she is responsible for working with New York State and City legislators to build supports and opportunities for youth transitioning out of the foster care system. She collaborates diligently with partners statewide and credits much of their progress to the insight and leadership of youth with lived experience, whose voices guide the policy change she helps champion.

Also in 2025, Ms. Staggers became the youth advisory council co-facilitator at Culture Reframed, where she empowers youth to address issues related to digital culture and promotes respectful and healthy views toward sex and intimacy. She additionally serves as a young professionals board member for Day One New York, contributing her expertise to the organization's mission of ending dating abuse and interpersonal violence among young people.

Since 2024, Ms. Staggers has been a youth coalition member with World Without Exploitation, collaborating with peers across the United States to combat human trafficking and exploitation through education, advocacy and policy reform within the child welfare system.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Staggers served as a policy associate at Rights4Girls, where she advanced legislative initiatives aimed at protecting women from gender-based violence. In 2024, she was a public policy fellow at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, where she contributed research and advocacy efforts addressing sexual abuse and exploitation.

Ms. Staggers began her journey in the nonprofit sector as a public policy and legislative assistant at the Center for Victims of Torture in 2023. There, she gained firsthand insight into the criminal justice system and its impact on women, which shaped her future focus on sexual violence prevention. Analyzing statutes on policing and public safety, she created a state-by-state database comprised of bill comparisons and their effectiveness, presenting the results and making subsequent recommendations to company stakeholders.

Prior to focusing on her advocacy roles, Ms. Staggers excelled as a lead fifth and sixth grade summer teacher and all-year school counselor for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students at National Presbyterian School. Her responsibilities included curriculum development, creating activities for after school entertainment and fostering a safe and supportive learning environment for her students.

Ms. Staggers further developed her diverse expertise as a graduate justice fellow at Madison House from 2021 to 2022, during which she engaged in community-based initiatives to build partnerships and enhance training for student volunteers. In 2021, she served as a public policy intern with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, supporting legislative efforts to improve outcomes for children in foster care.

To expand her network and remain aware of the latest industry developments, Ms. Staggers has maintained active memberships with the Youth Coalition at World Without Exploitation, the Youth Advisory Council at Culture Reframed and the Miss America organization. She has also contributed as a volleyball coach at Trinity High School and volunteered as a coach with volleyball clubs around New York City, demonstrating her commitment to mentorship and youth development beyond her professional pursuits.

Though Ms. Staggers has achieved numerous milestones throughout her career, she considers her involvement with Miss America among her most meaningful. After serving as Miss City of New York 2025, she now holds the title of Miss Manhattan 2026. During her previous tenure, she organized citywide trivia nights to raise funds for organizations supporting survivors of sexual violence, spoke on child sexual abuse at side panels during the United Nations 69th Commission on the Status of Women, and partnered with Film Noir Cinemas to host a screening of Promising Young Woman during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, where she delivered a keynote address alongside Miss America 2026, Cassie Donegan. She also joined a Teen Dating Violence Awareness walk in New York City and organized a panel with the CUNY Graduate Center to address the challenges survivors face in accurately labeling their experiences of sexual violence. Under her current title, she is currently advocating for New York State to update legislation that would close a loophole in the sex crimes penal code, allowing more survivors to seek justice and healing. Her outstanding leadership in this area recently earned her recognition as a Power Woman of Manhattan.

Hailing from an equally impressive academic background, Ms. Staggers earned a Master of Public Policy in public policy analysis from the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia in 2022. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in education with a concentration in youth and social innovations from the University of Virginia, completed in 2021. Determined to make an impact outside the classroom as well, she served as a student ambassador for the Curry School of Education and was an active member of the Madison House volunteer center.

Reflecting on her storied journey thus far, Ms. Staggers attributes much of her success to the unwavering support of her family, who have encouraged her ambitions from an early age. Inspired by her father's efforts in employing individuals who were impacted by incarceration, she initially pursued criminal justice policy before shifting her focus toward sexual violence prevention following personal experiences that highlighted the intersection between these critical issues.

Determined to further her impact in the future, Ms. Staggers aims to pass comprehensive sex education legislation in New York that includes instruction on sexual violence prevention. She also aspires to claim the title of Miss New York and is planning the release of a short film by collaborating with directors who share her vision for impactful storytelling, reflecting her exemplary legacy of advocating for those in need through everything she does.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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