Ashley Forrester
Ashley A. Forrester has more than ten years of public relations and marketing experience demonstrating leadership, strategic ideation and innovative success at both a leading global public relations/communication agency and in an in-house client environment at Events DC.
Ashley is currently the Corporate Director of Communications and Marketing at Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia. In her role at Events DC within the communications and marketing department, Ashley oversees the development and execution of the organization’s strategic messaging platform, public relations efforts, marketing collateral, social media platforms and its long-term communications strategies that promote and support all three lines of the organization’s business – conventions & meetings, sports & entertainment and special events. In 2014, under Ashley’s leadership, Events DC in collaboration with Washington, DC city partners executed a public world cup viewing on Freedom Plaza, resulting in nearly 12 million media impressions and more than 5,000 attendees. Previously, Ashley has spent more than seven years in a public relations/communications agency setting working on a diverse portfolio of clients from consumer products to unbranded awareness programs with the NFLPA and NASCAR, as well as media relations efforts with NFL Hall of Famers to defining strategic communications platforms, celebrity engagement and facilitating crisis issues management. At Ruder Finn Public Relations, Ashley led the charge in executing a high-profile public education campaign with the NFLPA and NFL Hall of Famers, developed a social media task force strategy for a diabetes unbranded awareness initiative and executed a brand awareness strategy for the Council of Responsible Nutrition and Fitness. During her time at Burson-Marsteller, Ashley was charged with managing and building the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) on behalf of sanofi-aventis in an effort to raise awareness and educate consumers, healthcare professionals and public policy leaders about a condition that kills more than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Under Ashley’s oversight, the Coalition to Prevent DVT championed more than seven national DVT Awareness Month campaigns including an RV tour across the nation and a consumer exercise program – DVT Awareness In Motion. Media strategies included high-profile spokespeople including ESPN’s Bonnie Bernstein and NBC’s Melanie Bloom, Al Roker, Ann Curry and more. Campaign media efforts resulted in more than one billion media impressions – reaching each American at least 3 times. Notable coverage included NBC’s Today Show, New York Times, Larry King Live, MSNBC’s Morning Joe and local coverage which spanned more than 1,000 cities. Ashley received a B.A. in media studies from the Catholic University of America and a Masters in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Currently, Ashley resides in Arlington, VA and has been a speaker at Georgetown University on “Social Good and the Power of Sport,” a past panelist at the Sports and Events Marketing Experience (SEME) Conference, Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference (SINC) and with Teamwork Online and Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR). Ashley has also served as a professional development mentor at Howard University via Burson-Marsteller’s mentorship program and currently as a mentor with Events DC’s STRIVE intern and externship program.