About Me

My foundation is in journalism — I graduated from Western Kentucky University with bachelor’s degrees in news/editorial journalism and sociology. I started my career as a newspaper reporter at the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. I covered general assignments and criminal justice at the central Kentucky newspaper.

I spent a year in AmeriCorps as a VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America), working as a development assistant at a community center in Louisville. During that time, I started a blog called Ashlee Eats where wrote about my adventures in Louisville’s casual dining scene. After AmeriCorps, I worked in communications at Humana, an insurance company based in Louisville, and continued to blog. The blog led to the publication of my book, Louisville Diners (History Press, 2015).

I transitioned to reviewing oven and smart kitchen appliances at CNET, a website that covers consumer electronics news and products. From there, I worked in public radio as Vice President of Digital for Louisville Public Media, where I focused on reaching audiences beyond traditional radio through social media, newsletters and digital projects.

I currently work as a manager at the American Journalism Project, an organization that invests in nonprofit local news outlets with the ultimate goal of strengthening our democracy. I help grantees with hiring, fundraising and growth planning.

My writing has appeared in the book The Louisville Anthology (Belt Publishing, 2020), HuffPost, Salon, the Washington Post, CNET, the Lexington Herald-Leader, WFPL, and other publications. I’ve been a speaker or reader at the Kentucky Women Writers Conference, Spalding University, the University of Tennessee, Western Kentucky University, the InKY Reading Series, and the Flying Out Loud reading series.

More fun facts:

• I spent nine years as a host of The Moth StorySlam competition in Louisville.
• I received my Master of Fine Arts degree from Spalding University.
• I was a Girl Scout volunteer for several years.

I live in Louisville with my two dogs, Dolly and Patch. In my free time, I take care of my plants, watch too many episodes of The Golden Girls and Bob’s Burgers, and attempt to finish one of my many craft projects.