Ashley Stead

Ashley is a dedicated advocate for workers’ rights, currently serving as an attorney at McGann, Ketterman & Rioux in Chicago, where she represents individuals and labor organizations in a wide range of legal matters at the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to her current role, Ashley served as Senior Legal Counsel in the Office of the Senate President for the Illinois State Senate Democratic Caucus. There, she was a key architect behind a multi-year legislative package focused on increasing workplace protections against harassment and discrimination following the #MeToo movement. Beyond issues directly related to labor and employment, Ashley worked on several initiatives impacting Illinois families, including drafting and negotiating a legislative package aimed at expanding affordable housing preservation and development, a gun safety initiative to ban “ghost guns”, and environmental protections requiring the removal of coal ash byproduct from Illinois lands.

Ashley is an active member of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and the Chicago Bar Association, and she volunteers at her local food pantry to distribute food to her neighbors. She is currently expecting her first child and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and their pets. In her free time, she enjoys weekend adventures with their dog, discovering new places to eat, spending time outdoors, and catching the latest movies at their local theater.