What She Does at Thinkwell

Ashley Harris is an account director and master chef of communications for Thinkwell Creative. Her diabolical doings include hunting and gathering information and putting it all together in an organized, pretty package. Keeping the project trains moving in the same direction and on the right schedule are among the many skills in Ashley’s big bag of tricks.

Early Life

Growing up in Birmingham, AL, Ashley began her career in communications and found her knack for organization early by being the only girl on her street and bossing around all of the boys.

Declarations by Ashley:

“We are going to play football, and I am going to be the quarterback.” (to the boys in her neighborhood)

“While my parents are at the disco, we’re going to listen to records in the den.” (to her babysitter)

“My ideas are usually the best, so why do it any other way?” (to the person interviewing her for this bio)

When not playing with neighborhood friends, Ashley spent time at home making Lite-Brite masterpieces in her bedroom and writing creative fiction in the closet. Her only regret from youth is that she was never elected to the Safety Patrol at school. Ashley laments, “It would have been fun to have that much control.”

At Auburn University, Ashley earned a degree in marketing and forever cemented her love of college football. Her husband, Brad, is a University of Alabama fan, but she decided to marry him anyway. On game day, they manage to keep things “very civil.”

Career

Out of college, Ashley began a career in the banking world of Birmingham, where she did administrative work, training, support for new branch openings and, finally, marketing. Banker-by-day, student-by-night, she also passed enough classes to walk away with her MBA from UAB.

Ashley’s communication and organizational skills were evident, and upon moving to Memphis for a job change for Brad, she took on a role in culture and communications at Hilton. A few years later, it was time for Brad’s job to move the family again; this time to Pittsburgh. Marissa offered Ashley a job working remotely for Thinkwell, and Thinkwell gained an office in Pennsylvania!

After more than a decade with Thinkwell—and a few chapters spent up North—Ashley has officially returned below the Mason-Dixon Line, settling just two exits down from where she grew up. Proof that sometimes, the long way around brings you right back home.

Personal Life

Brad and Ashley have two sons, Jack and Sam, who are now both in college, launching the Harris household into its next chapter as proud empty nesters. Weekends in the fall revolve around SEC football, and in the off-season (no longer occupied by high school lacrosse), Ashley is enjoying a slower pace of life—traveling, cooking, reading, doting on the family dogs and, of course, singing Journey songs at a high volume.

Ashley continues to approach her surroundings with a healthy mix of appreciation and caution: soaking up time with loved ones, avoiding the heat and humidity whenever possible, and saying fervent prayers that snakes don’t venture into her yard.