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About
Damian Ashton's journey is one defined by his commitment to social impact, co-creative design, communications, and consensus building. He embarked on his path starting in high school as student body vice president and the student district representative. He focused on youth justice and criminalization until he became involved in gender justice, where he co-founded a group and designed interventions to support boys who had experienced or witnessed domestic violence. His work in communications started at this time when he wrote and produced a TV PSA about teen dating violence.
His dedication to social change continued throughout high school and into his undergraduate studies, where he majored in Political Economy and Ethnography. During this time, Damian collaborated with the Collective Power (formerly Civil Liberties and Public Policy), contributing to their annual Reproductive Justice Conference. His commitment earned him a scholarship to work on reproductive justice issues in New York City where he worked alongside organizations like United for Peace and Justice, Planned Parenthood, and Reproductive Freedom for All (Formerly NARAL)
As Damian's journey progressed, he turned his focus toward the transformative power of cultural identity and Ethnography. A year-long ethnographic research project allowed him to explore the dynamics of hip-hop clothing brands and subcultural identities, particularly within urban and rural communities. This research strengthened his belief in culture as a catalyst for social change. After graduating he moved into marketing. Inspired by the Ethnographic insights, Damian established his consultancy, Culture Incite, leveraging qualitative research and interactive engagement to create content and marketing strategies. This novel approach resonated and took the form of a consultancy role within the newly forming record label, Dub-Stuy Records. As a founding member, he contributed to its marketing, product strategy, and design. Inspired by the opportunity to leverage product and communications to preserve historical narratives within the music industry, he became interested in social impact design. This realization inspired him to pursue a master's degree at the School of Visual Arts, specializing in Design for Social Innovation. During this time, he spent a year working on a design and strategy output focused on creating a tool to promote healthy masculinity and foster gender equity.
Following the completion of his Masters Degree, Damian took on the role of Communications Director at Equimundo: Center for Masculinity and Social Justice (formerly Promundo-US). On his first day he was notified that the organization had received a cease and desist from their sister organization to stop using the Promundo name and branding. Leveraging his human-centered design skills, Damian created a process that engaged over 60 internal and external stakeholders in a seamless rebranding process. He also undertook the task of rebuilding the department, optimizing operations, interdepartmental communication, and workflow for greater productivity.
Currently, Damian is a design research, strategy, and communications consultant. His dedication extends to teaching at Parsons School of Strategic Design and Management, where he imparts the fundamentals of design thinking, strategy, and innovation. He also serves as a commissioner with the NYC Mayor's Office on Gender Equity and co-leads the NYC Chapter of the Action Design Network.
He actively participates in co-creating community-based projects aimed at addressing critical issues such as reducing disposable vape usage and alleviating unemployment-related challenges. His journey embodies the transformative potential of passionate dedication to social change and innovation.
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