Online Master's in Public Relations & Corporate Communications
Ashley Forrester

ASHLEY A. FORRESTER

Director, Strategic Communications

Samsung Electronics America

Ashley Forrester brings more than 18 years of brand public relations and creative marketing experience with two global public relations agencies and in-house roles with Samsung Electronics America, Events DC, the convention & sports authority for Washington, DC and working with Amazon at National Landing, Virginia's largest walkable downtown.

In Ashley's currently role, she leads Samsung Electronics America's strategic communications team. Core communications efforts focus on storytelling across strategic business sets, priority issues management and advocacy communications, as well as community engagement priorities to educate key audiences and stakeholders about Samsung's unmatched innovation, investment and citizenship efforts within the United States.

Previously, Ashley joined the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) as Vice President of Marketing and Communications in early 2021. At the time, her role, in this newly created organization and role included driving increased visibility for National Landing as a vibrant destination, strengthening relationships with stakeholders and area businesses, leading content development and overseeing events, and high-impact PR activations. At National Landing, Ashley worked with Amazon to define the brand for a growing place that is transforming Virginia’s largest walkable urban center into America’s most connected downtown with Amazon’s HQ2 as the anchor.

As the Corporate Director of Communications and Marketing at Events DC, Ashley was responsible for leading the communications and marketing efforts for the organization’s 11 venues and supporting all three lines of business in an effort to position DC as a world-class destination, drive the city’s economic engine and provide community benefits for residents. In her role at Events DC, Ashley led the communications roadmap from the groundbreaking to the grand opening efforts for the 4,200-seat Entertainment and Sports Arena, built in an underserved area of Washington, DC – as well as the press strategy for the once-in-a-lifetime, 190-acre RFK Stadium Campus redevelopment project that focuses on plans for reimagining the iconic Campus. As part of the strategic initiatives portfolio, Ashley built a three-year strategic business plan for esports, with the goal of positioning DC as an innovative city on the forefront of an emerging industry that will fuel growth and economic activity. In 2020, she also spearheaded the digital launch of the city’s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Washington, DC – branded as DC2026.

During COVID-19, Ashley led the strategic crisis communications efforts on behalf of the organization, that initially started with proactive messaging surrounding the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Entertainment and Sports Arena. She also worked closely with city partners and the local Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington to develop a recovery relief program to support the local hospitality and travel & tourism industry, as well as the press efforts for the temporary field hospital built inside the Convention Center. 

Previously, Ashley spent nearly a decade at two global public relations agencies Burson-Marsteller (now Burson Cohen Wolf) and Ruder Finn Public Relations. During that time, she worked on a diverse portfolio of corporate clients from consumer brands and crisis issues to unbranded awareness and policy communications programs.

Since 2016, Ashley has served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in their Public Relations and Corporate Communications Masters Program, where she currently teaches Media Relations.

In 2020, Ashley was named to Washington Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” class of leaders in the DC region. She has been a speaker on numerous panels, including “Social Good and the Power of Sports & Live Entertainment” and “Onward and Upward: The Future of Live Events” with Georgetown University to the Urban Land Institute’s panel on “Esports Branding 101” and “The Brand Experience” with Freeman. Ashley has also served as a panelist at the Sports and Events Marketing Experience Conference, Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference (SINC), Teamwork Online events and Washington Women in Public Relations. She has served as a professional development mentor with Howard University and is currently a mentor with the NFLPA and DC’s local chapter of Women in Sports Events. 

Ashley resides in the vibrant Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, DC and is an enthusiastic baseball fan.

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