Ashley Roberts

Ashley Roberts said, “Courageous leadership, to me, is about choosing possibility over fear. It means imagining a better future and taking the first step toward it even when the path is not yet clear.”

Ashley serves as the new Chief of Operations for Student Affairs. Prior to her current role, she was director of Student Affairs Marketing and Communications.

During her four years as director, Ashley led her team with cohesion and excitement, building a lasting culture of trust and empowerment.

Her nominators said, “Ashley is an empathetic, gifted leader who is guided by her vision for success and possibility. She makes stress feel manageable because each team member knows they are not alone, and that every new project is an opportunity to learn and grow professionally and personally.”

Ashley’s leadership empowers her staff to advise and create strategic communications in the division, confidently take on leadership opportunities, and pursue professional development goals.

Her nominators said, “Ashley’s open, thoughtful, and positive nature set the tone for our office culture of mutual support, empathetic leadership, and joyful community.”

The work culture Ashley has created has grown from her years of experience with examples (and counterexamples) in varied higher education settings and her extensive research on employee success and leadership best practices.

By helping inspire her team members to work effectively and cohesively, Ashley multiplied the effectiveness of programs, services, and initiatives by making them more accessible to students. Her work has also invited the engagement of university supporters by helping them better understand Student Affairs programming and its impacts on students and in turn on their communities.

Ashley’s passion is helping people become their best selves, and she is committed to creating the conditions for that to happen. She said, “Whether through operational clarity, thoughtful communication, or culture-building work, I’m passionate about guiding others to see what’s possible, and helping them channel their energy toward work that feels purposeful and enlivening.”

Ashley said the highlight of her experience at Virginia Tech has been “witnessing what happens when people are given permission — and encouragement — to bring their full creativity, compassion, and ideas to the table.”

“Moments where a teammate has discovered their own potential, reframes a challenge, or realizes that their voice matters are the moments that stay with me,” she said. "Helping unlock that kind of energy and possibility has been the most rewarding aspect of my work.”

For envisioning and creating spaces where success and thriving go hand in hand, Student Affairs is proud to present the Faculty/Staff Aspire! Award for COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP to Ashley Roberts.