Ashley is an Account Coordinator for a company new to New Orleans, The Food Group. Based in New York, The Food Group is a full-service marketing and communications agency in the food & beverage industries. Ashley works primarily with client Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, enacted in 1984 to support Louisiana’s world-class commercial fisheries industry and respond to changes in the marketplace and in the environment.

“I’m so proud to be promoting an industry that’s so crucial to our state’s economy. My dad is an angler in this state, my sister has cooked in some of the city’s best restaurants and now I’m working to grow our seafood industry nationwide.”

Before joining The Food Group, Ashley gained a highly coveted press internship in the office of Senator Harkin (D-Iowa). She said her experience working with state and federal agencies was a critical factor in getting her current job.

“I was always interested in press work, having written for The Maroon in school. Loyola taught me how to integrate those interests with the values of social justice, which made my résumé stand out among other applicants in the senator’s office. This internship is one of the main reasons I now work with The Food Group.”

Outside of The Food Group, Ashley explores New Orleans’ culinary culture, reading culinary news and trying new restaurants, and soon hopes to start her own food column.

“My brother-in-law is a sustainable farmer. If he grows it, my sister finds news ways to cook it. With their love of farming and sustainability, and my love of the New Orleans culinary culture, we’ve got some ideas on how to integrate the two for New Orleans readers. I’m not going to give anything away, but it’s going to fill a missing gap we’ve seen in the local foodie news.”

Ashley graduated from Loyola New Orleans in 2011 with a degree in Mass Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations.