Hi, I’m Ashley!

I’m a West Virginia native, turned Washington D.C. transplant—now living in New York.

A recent MPA graduate from Columbia University with nearly a decade of experience, I’m focused on the intersection of technology, security, and good governance—online and off.

About Me

I am a first-generation college graduate, a proud Appalachian woman of color, and an innovative policy professional looking to make the internet and technology a safer and more inclusive space for everyone—especially those often left behind at the margins of policymaking.

My professional background began in communications, where I took complex policy research on pressing domestic and international governance issues and turned them into accessible, clear language for online audiences. I’ve helped a United States Senator, international development organization, and world-class think tanks and universities take their ideas from conception to fruition through innovative digital strategy.

As a graduate student at Columbia University, I focused on securing the web through robust data analysis, risk management, and policy implementation. I’ve conducted graduate-level courses on critical policymaking topics, including mis/disinformation, data in policymaking, free expression online, data privacy, artificial intelligence, and the politics of identity. I have advised students to turn their policy aspirations into well-written, concrete policy memos with compelling quantitative analysis. I also served as President of the Digital and Cyber Group, where I oversaw a $40,000+ budget to provide curated events and professional opportunities to students, including the annual NYC Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge with the Atlantic Council.

I’ve worked with experts and high-level stakeholders at Columbia World Projects to develop projects on election security, digital identity, and COVID-19 digital response, and provided quantitative and qualitative research analysis for a multi-year project on far-right extremists’ engagement with hate speech and misinformation online at the Columbia Data Science Institute.

I’m currently consulting on a capstone project with PricewaterhouseCoopers Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Forensics to provide market analysis and policy recommendations for a government-mandated cyber threat hunting program across the defense industrial base.

My interests in technology and cyber policy include everything from the digital divide to critical infrastructure, digital diplomacy, content moderation, cybercrime, and all the tech policy things in between.

Want to talk tech governance or digital diplomacy? I’d love to hear from you.

Research

Russia as a Cyber Adversary: How Significant is the Threat to Critical Infrastructure in the United States?

Addressing U.S. Digital Divides: How to Bring All Americans into the Fold

Moderating Hate Speech and Harassment Online: Are Internet Platforms Responsible for Managing Harmful Content?

Digital Identities: Mitigating Risks for Technologically Enhanced Governance

Teenage Sexuality Online: Should Adolescent ‘Sexters’ be Criminalized as Child Pornographers?

U.S. Cyber Strategy: A Whole-of-Nation Approach to Healthcare Sector Data Vulnerabilities

Emerging Threats Against U.S. Critical Infrastructure

Cyber Threat Hunting in the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (Graduate Capstone Consulting Project

Policy Memos

Chinese Influence Operations: A Comparative Analysis of Taiwan and Japan

Promoting Societal Resilience to Secure America’s Digital Borders

Revitalizing Appalachia’s Economy Following the Decline of the Coal Industry

Recommended Action for Continued U.S. Leadership on Global Cyber and Emerging Technology Issues, Specifically 5G

Op-Eds

America’s Education Infrastructure Isn’t Prepared for the Coronavirus

America Isn’t Only White—It’s Time Our Political Process Reflects That

Social Media may be Ruining our Public Lands, but it Could be Used to Save Them Too

Labor Day is a Celebration of Our Workforce, Past and Present

What You Need to Know Ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment