Ashley Dearinger
Co-CEO
Ashley Dearinger didn't set out to start a nonprofit; she set out to help kids read. After years as a classroom teacher, she saw firsthand the transformative power of showing up consistently for brilliant, resilient students who had been overlooked by the system.
Her leadership is deeply personal, shaped by her experiences as a mother of three, including two children with special needs. Navigating the roadblocks families face fuels her conviction that every child deserves to be a literate citizen, and every family deserves dedicated support.
Today, Ashley is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of I Would Rather Be Reading, a Louisville-based nonprofit providing high-impact, trauma-informed out-of-school literacy and enrichment programs. She is also a founder and partner of IWRBR Consulting, where she works alongside school districts, nonprofits, and affordable housing communities to design programs that close opportunity gaps and foster long-term community impact.
