Ashley O’Connor is a veteran leader in political advertising and is recognized as an industry expert on messaging to women. With more than 25 years of experience, Ashley has helped dozens of candidates, C-suite executives, non-profits, and corporations navigate tough public affairs battles and win hard-fought elections.

As the Managing Partner at Strategic Partners & Media, Ashley leads an in-house production team and a full staff of digital specialists, designers, developers, and strategists to help clients tell their story and reach exactly the right audience with their message.

Ashley has produced and directed hundreds of advertisements for political campaigns across the country, from presidential races to local elections. An award-winning producer, Ashley’s work includes the acclaimed 2004 Republican National Convention keynote video, “The Pitch,” that introduced President Bush, as well as “The Surge: The Untold Story,” a documentary of the Surge in Iraq which won the 2010 Military Channel Award at the GI Film Festival.

An expert on messaging to women, Ashley is a frequent speaker and presenter at academic and industry conferences. She has lectured on politics and advertising at some of the nation’s top universities, including the Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, and her alma mater, Mount Holyoke College. In 2014, Ashley was selected to Campaign & Elections magazine’s “The Influencers 50” list.

Ashley served two terms on the board of the YWCA of Anne Arundel County, the only domestic abuse shelter and youth human trafficking shelter in the county, and remains active with the organization to this day. She is also an avid equestrian and a baseball mom; when not out riding or on the diamond with her son, Ashley and her husband are sponsoring midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy, entertaining with friends and family or enjoying time on the Chesapeake Bay.