By admin 
The Sacramento Bee and Nehemiah Leaders Programs are celebrating this year’s 60 Change Makers. Join them at our gala at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Grand Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Buy tickets at sacramentochangemakers.com.
Read more SLO’s Madonna Inn names booth in honor of Dolly Parton — a ‘cherished friend’
Ashley Randolph has spent much of her life turning personal adversity into advocacy.
The Sacramento resident and founder of GLO Preemies, a nonprofit that supports Black parents of premature infants, draws on her own experiences as both a preemie and the mother of three premature children to help others navigate some of life’s most challenging moments.
Born in Berlin while her father served in the U.S. Air Force, Randolph was delivered at 33 weeks, nearly two months shy of her due date.
Her family later settled in south Sacramento where she lives today. She said she excelled as a student in grades 1-12 and enrolled in Xavier University in New Orleans to study biology and pre-medicine while also pursuing public health studies at Tulane University.
Her plans changed dramatically when she became pregnant during college. Faced with limited support and difficult choices, Randolph left school before completing her degree.
Read more See the former Bing Crosby ranch in Nevada that just sold for $14.2M
Randolph’s son Aiden was born at 34 weeks. Two daughters followed, both also born prematurely after complicated pregnancies.
Along the way, Randolph encountered barriers to care, inadequate support and racial disparities in maternal and infant care. Those experiences inspired her to create GLO Preemies, short for God’s Little Ones Preemies, in 2014.
What began as a support group has grown into a national nonprofit that provides education, care packages, family resources and long-term guidance for Black families who welcome premature babies.
Today, Randolph is recognized as a leading advocate for Black maternal and infant health. She co-founded the Alliance for Black NICU Families, serves on advisory boards connected to Stanford University and the National Institutes of Health, and has helped shape research and policy affecting neonatal care nationwide.
Despite numerous awards and accolades, Randolph said her greatest accomplishment is seeing her children thrive. Her guiding philosophy remains simple: “Your voice matters, and it’s never too small, no matter how big the room is.”
Read more See the former Bing Crosby ranch in Nevada that just sold for $14.2M