Ashley Goeken, right, stands next to Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin at the March 12 City Council meeting after her appointment to Aurora’s Innovation and Technology Advisory Commission was approved by the council.
The appointment was put forward by Mayor Richard Irvin and unanimously approved by the Aurora City Council at its meeting last Tuesday. Goeken is a co-founder of Opalus, a consulting firm that helped Aurora develop its Sustainability Plan 2019, according to the company’s website. Goeken also serves as an ambassador of the United Nations Association, Chicago chapter, where she works to collaborate with policy makers, local government officials, businesses and educational institutes in an effort to make cities and communities more sustainable, according to the resume she provided to the city.
In 2020, Goeken co-founded Opalus with her sister after being inspired by the UN’s sustainable development goals, according to her resume. With the company, she hopes to create more sustainable cities by partnering with universities, working with tech startups and advising on environmental policy, her resume says.