Please join me in welcoming Ashley Bennett, graduate intern for CBHL! Ashley will be working with us for the next several months to develop an emerging leader outreach and engagement plan. She will also support research and planning for our Equity-Grounded Leadership Fellow Program. Ashley has numerous professional accomplishments already, as you’ll see in her bio below. She is now transitioning into healthcare project management with goals to focus on operations, strategic planning and process improvement, while addressing equity and inclusion, and outreach and engagement in the healthcare realm.
While in high school, Ashley became an Emergency Medical Technician right after 9/11 and discovered her passion to serve others. A graduate of Rutgers University, with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Organizational Leadership. Ashley became a Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program Scholar and completed original research and presented at the McNair Conference at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
She went on to pursue graduate degrees at Georgian Court University and Fielding Graduate University earning a M.A. in Community Counseling and Certificate in Clinical Psychology.. While serving as project leader in The Forensic Neuropsychology Research as a Research Assistant. During this time she has presented original research at both the Association for Psychological Science and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies National Conferences.
Ashley has been in the mental health field for a decade and currently works as a frontline mental health worker as psychiatric emergency screener in a local emergency room conducting mental health assessments and links those with services. Deciding to broaden her journey in healthcare, Ashley started an additional graduate degree in Public Health with plans to get involved with Health Equity, Policy and Social Determinants of Health.
A passionate believer in policies that truly benefit everyone and strong advocate for education, healthcare, disadvantaged communities, and social justice. Having served in leadership in various capacities, Ashley is the former County Commissioner of District 3 of Atlantic County, New Jersey,where she became the first female, African American and Democrat to hold her seat in Atlantic County’s history. Ashley has been featured in national and international media outlets, and a former featured speaker at the 2018 televised Women’s March in New York City. In January of 2018, Ashley along with a number of women running for office graced the cover of TIME magazine.
Truly committed to board service, while in office, Ashley served as the Liaison to the Atlantic County Youth Services Commission and Library Advisory Commission, National Association of Counties Human Services and Education Steering Committee for 2019 and 2020. A 2018 New Leaders Council Fellow, and advisory board chair for the South Jersey Young Dems Black Caucus. She was recognized for her leadership and service by The Root.com , naming her to their 100 influential African Americans of 2018. She is a 2019 Shirley Chisholm Breakthrough Leadership Award recipient, presented at the 2019 Summit for Civil Rights. Ashley served as secretary on the executive board for the Southern New Jersey Freeholder Association, the first all women bipartisan board. Her political story is profiled in the books, “Why I Run”, “Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence 4th ed” & Rebecca Traister’s book “Good & Mad.”
Ashley ended her political term in 2020 after a brief Congressional run. She is currently finishing her degree in Public Health and transitioning into healthcare project management with goals to focus on operations, strategic planning, and process improvement.
Take a look at Ashley’s resume here.
