Ashley Simons, Director

Ashley Simons joins Spitfire Strategies with over a decade of experience at the interface of science, policy and communications. She works with clients to develop clear messages and communicate their work in ways that resonate with target audiences. Ashley also leads training workshops and provides individual coaching to help nonprofit leaders design and deliver strategic, goal-oriented communications plans.

Prior to joining Spitfire Strategies, Ashley worked as a communications and strategy consultant for start-up companies and nonprofit organizations in the education, health and environmental sectors. With a background in environmental research and experience in government, media relations and business development, much of her career has focused on increasing the role of science in public policy. She has served as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s lead on Presidential Executive Orders on marine protected areas and coral reef conservation; led the Leadership Training Program at Stanford University’s Woods Institute; and through her work at SeaWeb/COMPASS helped hundreds of scientists reach new audiences and media outlets – from the cover of The Economist and front page of The New York Times to U.S. congressional hearings.  

Ashley holds a B.S. and M.S. in earth systems from Stanford University and graduated from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business as a Sloan Fellow. She spends much of her free time training for ultimate frisbee and has competed in both National and World Championships.