Ashley Smith is proud of her roots in the agriculture industry and is passionate about ensuring farmers have a voice in the political and regulatory environment. She currently serves as director of government affairs for the Torrey Advisory Group, where her work is mainly focused on the issues that impact farm-level decisions and the policies that shape the operating and marketing environment for farmers. Prior to joining the firm, she worked at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association as an associate director of policy communications, specializing in communications efforts to mobilize grassroots support on policy initiatives. Ashley also served as an advance lead for Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, handling the logistical side of domestic and international events and later was promoted to deputy director of external and intergovernmental affairs where she served as a liaison for state officials and industry stakeholders on the Secretary’s initiatives and rollout of agency actions.

Ashley uses her personal experiences growing up on her family farm, involvement in 4-H and FFA, and her tenure as eastern region national FFA Vice President combined with her professional experience leveraging communications expertise and policy advocacy to approach issues for clients in thoughtful and creative ways. Her ability to see a variety of perspectives makes her a natural at building long-term and meaningful relationships on the Hill, in the Administration and amongst agriculture stakeholders in DC.

Ashley attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, where she earned a degree in agricultural communications. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and cat, Woodford.

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