Headquartered in Washington, D.C. Ashley co-founded West Front Strategies (WFS) in 2015. WFS is a boutique, bipartisan consulting firm that is innovative, collaborative, and results-driven. It offers creative, out-of-the-box thinking to drive winning results for its clients. With a passionate team of six, it leverages its decades of experience in Washington D.C. across Capitol Hill and the executive branch to bring to the table an understanding of how government works.

Ashley considers herself a lifelong and enthusiastic learner who is constantly trying to learn new things related to her work or other interests. Her love for learning led her to obtaining an International MBA degree in her forties. At West Front Strategies, Ashley oversees operations, budgets, and P&L and directly represents the interests of her Fortune 500 clients before the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. Prior to this, she was the first woman to lead the government relations arm of Blank and Rome LLP a major law firm. To care for her family affairs, she manages her time to give equal importance to her personal and professional lives. She and her husband take care of her 13-year-old son balancing homework and school pickups without hampering her daily hectic routine. On weekends, she usually goes to a hockey or football game and also attends or hosts events for causes in and around Washington, D.C. In her free time, she loves to pursue her interest in fashion and the arts.

With a structured schedule, this early riser gets up at five a.m. to complete tasks such as checking emails, reading newspapers, and working out before her son wakes up. Ashley Davis’s mornings are filled with well-needed disciplinary personal space to later fully focus on the intense aspects of the day as a business leader. Being one of the Founding Partners of West Front Strategies this structure sets her up for success with unpredictable days  that usually consists of a combination of office times, spending time in meetings on Capitol Hill and around Washington, D.C., with clients, partners, and key government stakeholders.

Fulfilling Her Calling

Ashley shares that she was lucky to have manygreat mentors and bosses early on in her career who taught and instilled a sense of leadership and purpose in her. The decision to build WFS was a leap of faith, where the belief in one’s own capability and potential was stronger than doubtfulness. While serving other organizations, she witnessed many people branching out and initiating their businesses. She knew that she and her partners had the talent and skills that she could offer in the form of their own company.

She was often the only female leader in many of the rooms. Though this situation provided her with numerous opportunities, it also presented her with unique challenges. Nonetheless, she has always felt grateful for the ways she has been able to serve in any role she was given. She recalls being in the White House on the horrific day of September 11, 2001. That experience early on taught her a lot of resilience, hard work, and togetherness around a common purpose and goal. In the days and months after the September 11th attacks, she and her colleagues worked 15 hours a day, seven days a week. It was a difficult task, but being surrounded by great leaders helped her stay focused and determined on the common goal. Ashley admires and is inspired by Condoleezza Rice, an American Diplomat and political scientist who currently serves as director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Previously, she was the first female African-American to serve as the 66th United States Secretary of State and as the 19th United States National Security Advisor. She was the highest-ranking woman in the presidential succession in American history at the time of her appointment as Secretary of State. Ashley learns from such leaders to climb the ladder of success while remaining grounded in what matters. She admires leaders who are fearless in the face of adversity while remaining committed to the mission and vision of their organization or initiative. She also appreciates it when a leader takes the time to empower their team and invest in those they supervise.

Ashley believes in hard work, and thus hustling has always been an integral part of her business journey; she suggests that every aspirant must work hard to achieve his or her desired goals. In addition to that, she also thinks that every business person must be honest, have integrity, have self-awareness of distinct aspects, and be decisive and reliable for the team.

Being Goal-oriented

Ashley feels proud of her professional career and the success she has achieved through an abundance of hard work. She has attained professional success, so she can also devote some of her time to things she is passionate about, such as fashion and art, as well as working to advance women in politics and business. In addition to that, she feels passionate about women leading on corporate boards. Currently, she sits on several corporate boards and enjoys leveraging the skills learned throughout her career in this capacity.

She describes her personal goal as working hard, producing good outcomes, and helping other women (and men) who are in business. She believes it is critical to invest in the next generation of female leaders. She says, “It’s on us and our generation to support and bring up the next generation of women.” She firmly believes that women need to mentor, provide pipeline opportunities, and support other women. Her advice to every individual would be that if someone reaches out for some level of suggestion, then one must say yes and provide what they can to support them. To conclude, she asserts, “The best thing we can do is help pave the path forward for those who will come up behind us.“