Ashley Robinson, House Democratic Caucus Chief of Staff
Georgia’s WIN List is PROUD to empower not only women candidates, but also women behind the scenes that work hard to strengthen Democrats in Georgia.
A few years ago, Rep. Stacey Abrams recommended that Ashley Robinson receive training from Georgia’s WIN List to deepen her understanding of politics.
We’re proud to see that after training, Ashley went on to serve as Rep. Abrams’ Chief of Staff and she is currently the House Democratic Caucus Chief of Staff.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ashley to find out how she became involved with Georgia’s WIN List, and how she benefited from the experience. I hope you’ll find her responses as inspiring as I did.
Help us empower the future of Democratic women in Georgia. Invest in the future of Democratic women in political leadership today!
Yours truly in progress,
Adrienne White, Chair
A Conversation with Ashley Robinson
Adrienne White: What inspired you to get involved in politics?
Ashley Robinson: Honestly, I did not see myself pursuing anything political, haha. I mean, I graduated with a degree in Psychology and I do not come from a political family. Don’t get me wrong, my parents exercised their right to vote, but my mom and dad weren’t the type that followed local races or talked heavily over dinner about which political candidate they would vote for and which platform aligned with their own belief system.
However, after working my first campaign and seeing a woman be the candidate and another woman run the campaign, that was more than enough inspiration to want to see what more this whole political thing has to offer and piqued my interest.
Adrienne: How did you get connected with Georgia’s WIN List?
Ashley: Representative Stacey Abrams (who then also served double duty as the campaign manager of my first race) encouraged me to apply to WIN in 2009 after working my first race as a regional field director. WIN was a great introduction to parts of the campaign experience that I may not have fully understood or got a chance to experience initially.
Adrienne: How did the training you received through WIN deepened your knowledge and connections?
Ashley: The training I received through WIN List helped me understand the nuances of campaigns. Not only was learning about campaigns in another state like Texas, that shares a Republican majority, incredibly helpful, but the diversity of thoughts and perspectives shared from the other attendees, and the thoughtful teaching styles of its trainers greatly influenced the quality of the experience and offered context to the work I did, and would soon be doing when I returned to Atlanta.
Through WIN I was able to work with women who were running for the first time and who were very excited about the opportunity to embark on a new experience and become a part of the progressive movement in the South and be advocates for women throughout the state. I am incredibly grateful to have had such an experience and am still able to connect with those I’ve worked with during my time with WIN.
Adrienne: What word of advice would you give to women seeking to crack into politics?
Ashley: Understand you’re more than enough. Georgia has been waiting on you.
Adrienne: Why do you think it’s important that WIN continue to support the training of women in politics?
Ashley: The numbers speak for themselves. Democratic pro-choice women are needed at the state level to advocate for the women and families of Georgia. Whether it is the candidate or the staff, WIN plays a vital role in uplifting women who are seeking to pursue political office.
Research shows that women lead more ethically and understand the importance of fair wage and benefits, and are generally more successful than their male counterparts at working out compromises. Additionally, women have the unique ability to lead through inclusion, all while working to improve quality of life.
This is the kind of leadership Georgia needs. A candidate is only as good as her staff, and this harmonious relationship is one that is fostered from the organic belief that the woman seeking office can make a difference in the lives of those she seeks to represent.
WIN has remarkably been able to successfully nurture these relationships through tools, resources and encouragement while preparing candidates to effectively jump start, maintain and grow a rewarding and productive political career. The pipeline for breeding women in politics begins here. I couldn’t think of a better place to start than WIN.
