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Ashley West, Atlanta Region

Regional Economic Development Manager

“I have the great opportunity to serve in the very region I was born and raised in and where I’m now raising my children. It’s a convergence of my passions: giving back to the community, generating new opportunities and supporting the state that I cherish – Georgia.”

- Ashley West

Phone: 404.971.0698
Email: awest@southernco.com

Ashley serves as the Regional Economic Development Manager for the Atlanta region. With nearly a decade at Southern Company, Ashley provides the region with a diverse industry background in electricity, natural gas, drinking water and wastewater. Most recently at Southern Company Gas, she led and aligned internal and external communication strategies for Management Council members with a primary focus on the positional branding of the Chairman, President and CEO. Additionally, she worked alongside the CEO to communicate and navigate several key initiatives and major industry issues such as safety and reliability, operational performance, environment and sustainability, customer experience, earnings results and more.

During her years at Georgia Power, Ashley has held positions of increasing responsibility and led several initiatives while on the Media Relations team, and on the Executive and Internal Communications team. She has served as a company spokesperson communicating timely key messages to external and internal audiences, led communication efforts for the company’s social justice initiative, served on the Plant Vogtle core communications team and helped with historic storm response. Prior to Georgia Power, she served as a Public Information Officer within the City of Atlanta where she focused on external affairs, community outreach and city initiatives to support the Mayor’s office and the Department of Watershed Management.

Ashley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Albany State University and earned a Graduate Certificate in Digital and Social Media from Kennesaw State University. She is active in the community as a member of the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Foundation’s Young Executives Board, graduate of Leadership Paulding, a member of the Georgia Economic Developer’s Association, and serves as President of the Joshua Stukes Foundation. Additionally, she has served on the board for the Boys and Girls Club of Paulding County and as the American Association of Blacks in Energy’s Atlanta chapter’s co-chair for the communications committee.

Ashley’s diverse career experience, knowledge, and relationships within the Metro West region provides a unique perspective on the success of her communities that will deliver on the mission of preparing the region for strategic economic growth.

A Georgia-native and resident in Cobb County, she enjoys traveling, reading, playing golf, cheering on her husband Jarvis as he coaches high school football and spending time with their three children.

About the Atlanta Region

8,000

Weekly Departures

from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

8th

Largest Labor Market in U.S.

S&P Global, 2025

Strategic Location & Connectivity

  • Unparalleled Air Access: The world's busiest and most efficient airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, averages nearly 8,000 flights weekly to more than 150 nonstop domestic destinations.
  • Interstate Access: Trucks originating from Atlanta make deliveries to more than 80 percent of the U.S. markets in two delivery days or less.
  • Public Transit: MARTA, the area's public transit service, moves over 400,000 passengers every day by bus and rail. Around 60 percent of those trips are riders headed to and from work.

Thriving Economy & Workforce

  • Young Talent: Metro Atlanta has a young population, with a median age of 37.8.
  • Skilled Workforce: The region's workforce is 3.3 million strong and represents the eighth largest labor market in the U.S.
  • Diverse Economy: Atlanta's diverse employment base is considered one of its greatest economic assets with 70% of industries growing faster than the nation.

The Southeast's Innovation Hub

  • Research Centers: Several globally-recognized research centers are headquartered in metro Atlanta, including the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Yerkes Primate Center. Atlanta is also home to the American Cancer Society and the Arthritis Foundation.
  • Incubators: Metro Atlanta supports more than a dozen incubators for innovative emerging businesses with half devoted to growing technology companies.
  • Tech Square: On the edge of Georgia Tech’s campus, Technology Square is home to the highest concentration of startups, corporate innovation centers and academic researchers in the Southeast.

Quality of Life