HI , I'm

Hi! I'm Ashley. I've been a "leader" since I was a kid, or "bossy", if you ask my mom. I like to think of myself as a helper. I create order out of chaos, clarity out of nuance, and lots of spreadsheets. I like a good plan and I think other people do too.

About me

I've been a DPM at Microsoft for four years and have had the privilege of working with brilliant, kind, and talented people along the way.

Prior to Microsoft I worked as a digital advertising producer. I stood up and lead two digital advertising content studios–making the case for internal creative teams by demonstrating creative potential, forecasting ROI, and later incorporating research.

In 2022 I ushered the Azure IoT team through a reorg into CXS, strengthening and establishing process as we scaled from 20 to 70 people. I've learned to understand and follow the flow of Microsoft's ever-changing landscape. In these times of transitions I like to support teams by establishing order and expectations through process, kindness, and conversation. I like helping people, however I can.

No matter the team or the title, I always put people first. Here are some career highlights - people and portfolio work. Yes that is me in the Clippy costume.

How can I help?

What are your priorities?
How do you want this team to operate?
What are the expectations for a DPM on your team?
How do you define success in this role and on this team?
How do you anticipate the division of labor and attention across the DPM + product teams

My current priorities

Smooth transition and integration into the new centralized DPM team. (*new*)
- Meet leadership
- Discuss opportunities, ROB, and expectations
Product support on Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Operations (cont.)
Reporting quality metrics + AI initiatives for the Digital Operations R+D team (cont.)
Preparing for MBR and GEM alignment (cont.)
Lead exec comms designs for Digital Operations LT (cont.)

Recent impact

Operational excellence

I built the R+D foundation for the Azure Adaptive Cloud initiative that brought PM, Eng, research and design together to create a cohesive end-to-end solution across dozens of individual Azure services across Edge, Hybrid, IoT, Kubernetes, Data, and AI. Adaptive Cloud was included in Satya's 2024 Ignite Keynote and has remained central to the Azure Digital Operations product and sales strategy.

I worked closely with the PM team to define the relationship and modes of collaboration between R+D and PM.
I was the R+D conduit between our two teams.
I established R+D ROB for 30+ people, across four time zones.

Leader of Leaders

I lead design work for the Gartner Magic Quadrant evaluation with VP Mike MacKenzie. Microsoft earned the top spot as the "Leader of Leaders" in IIoT category.

Unifying people, product, and process

I supported multiple teams that came together during the formation of the Edge + Platform Research and Design (EPRD) team, under a new studio manager for some.

Phase 1: Established ROB: team meetings, calendars, Teams chats, Security Groups/Distribution groups/aliases
Phase 2: Created shared understanding of the project, priorities, and people, through a studio inventory.
Phase 3: Amplified EPRD mission and vision through CXS team page. Created internal SharePoint for internal messaging and resources.
Ongoing: build and maintain culture, clarity, and collaboration.

What I bring

Collaborative leadership
Change management
Strategic planning
Impact tracking
Executive communications
Culture curation

How I work best

I thrive with clear, direct communication and explicit expectations.
I work to understand the why of an assignment before getting started–so I can tailor my approach to the goal, audience, and desired result.
My communication style:
- Clarity is a gift. Kindness is free.
- Brevity and bullet points when possible.
- Exclamation points and emojis, when appropriate. Express yourself! ❤️