Ashley has spent more than two decades working with organizations to define and elevate their brand, navigate disruption, and drive consumer engagement and loyalty. She specializes in developing and scaling programs for complex, heavily regulated industries that answer to multiple stakeholders. Ashley leads with empathy and continues to achieve success by creating meaningful, inclusive, & actionable experiences that combine the best in digital innovation with grassroots community engagement.

Ashley founded Merit Create to drive outcomes for hard to reach and under-served individuals, and to demonstrate the impact consumer engagement has on organizational metrics. Ashley and her team function as both a SWAT team and strategic advisory, partnering with healthcare leaders nationwide to craft and implement market strategies, align marketing efforts with operational performance, and utilize outreach to positively impact lives.

As the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer for Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, Ashley led communications, engagement, marketing, and public affairs strategy. She spearheaded digital transformation across the organization and created multiple programs to improve health access, equity, and outcomes for individuals with complex needs. Ashley built a robust content and outreach strategy that leveraged consumer partnership and unilaterally improved engagement and customer satisfaction.

Prior to her role at Cardinal Innovations, Ashley led a global Marketing Communications team for a multi-billion-dollar specialty manufacturing company. While there, she improved share of voice and increased market share for key business segments while successfully launching multiple new products. She was also previously the Director of Marketing and Communications for Lime Energy, a national, publicly traded energy efficiency firm where she led all brand activities and created a national customer engagement and satisfaction platform.

She has provided coaching, mentoring, and leadership development consulting through the Behavioral Healthcare Leadership Academy, Wingspan Performance and E4 Carolinas. Ashley is a proud mama, Demon Deacon, and long-term resident of the Lake Norman area in North Carolina.